Sides of a Story
by Chameleon777
Summary: What if things on ER played out differently in later seasons? The past comes back to change the present and hidden sides to stories are revealed Change can be great and redeeming to all....PLEASE READ AND REVIEW! I don't own ER, but I own the OC's...
1. Prologue

_ER Rewritten - Two Sided Story_

_**Dr. Greene **__did not die of his brain tumor. A second operation got most of it out and chemotherapy treatments finished off the tumor's remnants. Exhausted from the final treatments, Mark took his family and recovered in Hawaii before returning to work. He is currently ER Chief of Staff and is sill very happily married to __**Dr. Elizabeth Corday**__, who is currently a general surgeon at County. Their daughter, Ella, is thriving in elementary school. After receiving horrible grades and failing a year, Rachel currently lives with her family and is struggling to get through high school with decent grades._

_**Dr. Benton**__ worked in Schaumberg for a couple of years before becoming homesick for Chicago and applying for a surgical attending position at County. His wife, __**Dr. Cleo Finch**__, and his son Reese supported his decision to move back to Chicago. After some initial resistance, Peter was warmly welcomed back to County and given a position as surgical attending for the Trauma department while Dr. Finch works in the ER as a Pediatric Attending part-time. Some days, Reese comes to work with his father and step-mother and, on scheduled days, attends a school for young deaf children in downtown Chicago._

_**Dr. Carter **__did live in Africa with his wife, __**Kem Likasu-Carter**__, for a short time following the stillborn birth of Joshua. However, because of homesickness and political troubles in Africa, Carter and Kem moved back to Chicago. After agreeing to attend counselling with Kem to deal with the loss of Joshua, Carter sought after Dr. Greene to ask for a position at County for both himself and Kem. He was granted an Attending position in the ER, and Kem, because of her experiences in dealing with loss and Africa, was granted the position of a patient counselor in the ER. The Carters both currently work there. Carter is also seeking to find a contractor to take on the Joshua Carter Clinic as a building project._

_**Dr. Romano **__survived the helicopter crash with serious, but non-life threatening injuries. After his recovery, he was offered the position of post-op rehabilitation worker at County by the administration. Romano took the position and, using his prosthesis as an example, currently teaches patients how to fight back and recover from surgery or serious, life-changing injuries or illnesses. He is also in training as an ER doctor and, with help, is doing a hands-on residency under Dr. Greene, whom he trusts._

_**Dr. Weaver **__lived in Florida for a while with her son, Henry, while doing news reporting for WJTV. However, homesickness grew to a point that Kerry requested and was granted a transfer to a Chicago news station. She moved back to Chicago with Henry and, since the news job was only a couple of days a week, she talked with County administrators and was given a position as a general physician in the ER that fit around her reporting schedule. Henry was subsequently enrolled in preschool in Chicago._

_**Dr. Kovac **__did marry __**Dr. Lockhart **__and they did have a son, Joe. However, not long after Joe was born, Abby began to drink again due to the stress of motherhood and work. For several months, Abby was able to drink secretly, both on the job and when she was home alone with Joe. Unfortunately, one evening, her drinking caused Abby, who had left Joe in the tub alone, to black out in the living room. When Luka got home, he found Joe unconscious in the tub and Abby passed out, totally inebriated. Luka left Abby and quickly got Joe to the ER, saving his life. While Joe was recovering, Luka finally saw that Abby had fallen off the wagon and it was out of control. While Abby recovered from it the next day, Luka took the morning off from work, took Joe and, not only filed for divorce, but also sole custody of Joe. Despite Abby's protests, the judge awarded full custody of Joe to Luka. To prevent Abby from hurting patients, Luka talked to the County administration and got Abby fired. Humiliated and alone, Abby left Chicago. Luka is currently balancing being a single father and an ER Attending._

_And….._

_**Dr. Dave Malucci**__ was a former ER resident at County. After being fired by Dr. Weaver, Dave, along with his mysterious life, disappeared into the shadows of Chicago. Nobody has heard from him, until now._

_Other characters from the series, OC's, as well as nurses, will be added in future chapters…_


	2. Once Again Crossing Paths

Sirens faded away as ambulances pulled up to the doors of the County ER.

It was barely sunrise and already, doctors and nurses were pushing gurneys into the hospital, scattering all over the place to help save the lives of those who were on the verge of losing them.

Jerry stood at the desk, watching and waiting for the clock to switch to a time when his night shift, oh his much hated nightshift, would be over and he could go home and turn the work over to Frank.

The best part of the whole scene for Jerry was watching Dr. Romano run all over the place, barking orders to various people while Dr. Greene, even though he was tired from working all night, worked to keep up with Dr. Romano and make sure he was justified in everything he did.

It was the role of teacher chasing after student, which was strange, but true.

As the sun continued to rise, the sky was a steel gray and Chicago was bogged down in frozen air.

Like pages in a book, the ER scene slowly, but surely, changed from one of chaos to one of quiet.

Patients were either discharged, moved to different areas of the hospital, or in the worst case that they did not live, they were moved to where phases of death would commence.

Nurses shuffled around, putting supplies away while orderlies cleaned the room where patients once stayed, undergoing various life-improving treatments.

Dr. Greene went off into the lounge to rest, while Dr. Romano took a place at the desk, watching and waiting for the next round of chaos to befall the ER. Like a rocket, he was always ready to take off.

Scoffing, Dr. Carter yawned and tossing a puke-stained scrub shirt in a laundry bin for the orderlies, he took a swig from his Styrofoam cup and left the ER, wanting to get home to work on important matters.

Seven a.m. quickly hit and the only sounds present were that of cleaning and noises from the street.

Frank had just arrived at the desk and was organizing himself under Dr. Romano's scrutinizing watch when the doors slid open and Dr. Luka Kovac hurried into the ER with a large bundle hidden in his thick jacket.

"Morning, Doctor Kovac," Frank spoke, as he looked up from the mess that Jerry had left for him to organize before he got to work.

Luka nodded and opening his jacket, he carefully lifted his son, Joe, out and placed him against his shoulder. Joe cooed happy and placed his hands on Luka.

"How's little Joe today, Doctor Kovac?" Haleh Adams, one of the very valuable ER nurses asked, as they came to the desk and saw that Luka had brought his son in.

Luka smiled, "He's getting better at sleeping through the night," he replied, as he walked over and signed in at the desk. "Joe's getting to be quite an early bird, though."

Mark emerged from the lounge just then with an empty coffee pot in his hand, "I don't know WHY he did it this early in the morning, but Peter just called downstairs to the lounge and woke me up from a needed nap," he said, placing the empty pot on the desk. "He complains that we need more coffee in the lounge and that he gets too tired and can't do work without the energy from the coffee."

Romano scoffed and looked up from the pile of paperwork in front of him, "Peter's just being a cynical crybaby," he remarked sarcastically. "It's his own fault that he's tired, he chose to pull a 48 hour shift instead of going home and getting rest. Nevertheless, get him coffee to shut him up."

Everyone exchanged looks, it was too cold to go outdoors, yet nobody wanted Dr. Benton to come down to the ER later and deliver more complaints. Finally, Luka cleared his throat.

"I don't mind the cold," Luka said, bouncing Joe. "I'll go, if someone will look after Joe and get him to the hospital daycare when it opens."

Haleh took Joe from Luka's arms, "It's not busy right now, so I'll look after him and get him to daycare for you," she said, cooing at Joe. "While you're out, can you get some milk and deli salads? Carter was working last night and after the ER cleared out, he had a food binge in the lounge."

Luka smiled, "I'll get some stuff for the fridge, don't worry," he said.

Frank took a wad of bills from his pocket, "Here's some money for the goods," he said. "Be safe and don't freeze your kiester off out there Kovac. Nobody wants to see you brought in by an ambulance."

Luka chuckled, "I'll be fine, thanks," he said, as he turned and walked out of the ER.

* * *

Several blocks from County, in a poorer neighborhood, two people were braving the cold weather.

A tall, very thin man, who was dressed in a second-hand flannel jacket, old gloves, and an aged toque with a frayed scarf over his face up to his eyes to keep himself from freezing, walked along as he held his son, a small boy who was dressed in an oversized coat, a tuque, large scarf, and gloves, and boots to keep him warm, close to his side, with a protective arm around him. A backpack was on the boy's back.

"C'mon, Dad, we're almost there," the boy spoke calmly, yet it was muffled by the scarf.

The man nodded and quickly, they arrived at a brick building that served as one of Chicago's many public elementary schools. A teacher's aide stood outside dressed in a warm parka. She smiled at the two.

"Ah, Doctor Malucci, how are you and Daniel this morning?" the woman asked in a gentle tone.

A dry cough came from the taller man, "As well as can be," he replied. "I hope it's okay if Daniel stays at school for lunch, as I have some important work to take care of."

The woman smiled, "Of course, Dave," she said, taking Daniel's gloved hand in her own. "From what I hear, a lot of people would be worse off if it wasn't for you and you partner helping them out."

Dave shrugged, "I need to get going," he said, not great at taking praise. "Have a good day at school, Daniel. I love you and I'll be back to pick you up later on."

Daniel nodded and quickly hugged his dad before letting go, "Love you, dad," he said. "Please take care of yourself today."

Dave nodded and watched Daniel walk off into the school with the aide. He turned and walked off down the cement sidewalk, towards the busy downtown core, ignoring his cold and the freezing air.

It wasn't very long until he arrived at one of the busier intersections, which he had to cross.

Oh, how he hated this intersection, Dave thought to himself, as he pressed the WALK button and waited for the signal to go. Every few days, at least one person was killed here because of recklessness.

The signal quickly changed and Dave quickly started across the road.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a fancy car came speeding down the road and right into Dave, sending him flying across the road and into the nearest alley. The car didn't slow down or stop, it just sped off, it driver unaware that a pedestrian was now laying in the alley, stunned and possibly injured by the impact.

As Dave lay in the alley, trying to regain his bearings so he could get up and proceed with his day, Luka was heading down the sidewalk on the way to the store, unaware that he was approaching the same alley.

A cold wind sprang up as Luka reached the alley and, suddenly feeling as if he was not alone, he looked into the alleyway and saw a man, dressed in barely adequate clothing for this time of year, pulling himself up into a sitting position against the brick wall. His scarf fell, revealing a familiar, yet aged, face.

"Are you all right?" Luka asked, as he saw a look of pain cross Dave's face.

Dave looked up and the color drained from his face, "Doctor Kovac?" he asked, completely shocked.


	3. Reckless Reality

Luka watched, concerned, as Dave used the brick wall to stand, but didn't put any weight on his left ankle.

"I'm fine, Doctor Kovac," Dave said, leaning heavily on the wall. "It's been a while since I've seen you."

Luka raised an eyebrow, "If you are fine, why don't you put your left foot on the ground?" he asked.

Letting out a deep sigh, Dave relented, "Okay, so my ankle hurts and I'd be stupid to walk on it," he admitted. "I was crossing the street and I got hit by a speeding car. It threw me over here."

"Did you lose consciousness at all?" Luka asked, suddenly concerned.

Dave shook his head, "No, I was just stunned for a bit," he said. "I need to suck up the pain and get on with my day, I guess, I have a lot to do before I pick up my son at school this afternoon."

Luka was surprised that Dave had a son, but wisely didn't comment about it, "Look, I can help you if you let me. I am still a doctor and it won't do you any good to walk on an injured ankle."

"Look, I know it needs to be looked at, but I can't go to County," Dave snapped, suddenly remembering his past days as a doctor at that hospital and how he was treated. "I should just go home and rest, I think."

Luka sighed, he might as well help Dave home and then hurry back to work, "Let me help you home, you can't possibly walk on that bad ankle," he insisted. "I assume you don't live far from here."

"It's not far, I'll tell you where," Dave said, as he allowed Luka to grab his arm and put it around his neck. "I really appreciate your help, Doctor Kovac. I honestly didn't expect it."

Luka smiled and holding tight to Dave's arm, he helped the injured man travel down the sidewalk.

* * *

Blocks away, John Carter, a renowned doctor at County and owner of the Joshua Carter Center, which was slowly being planned, was sitting in his car going over the notes he had collected from the most recent meeting with his lawyers, construction managers, and others involved with the clinic.

Progress was happening, but, alongside all that, John was stressed, as he had broken many traffic laws, including yielding to pedestrians, just to get to the meeting on time.

He had intended on leaving early enough so he could breathe, but a phone call from Kem had sidetracked him. They had spent about an hour on the phone, as Kem wanted him to consider going to work in Africa for Doctors Without Borders again, but Carter had explained that there was too much going on to leave. Kem had accepted it and, as soon as she hung, up, Carter had hurried off.

Now, sitting in his car, John worried that he might have accidentally hit someone when speeding through that intersection. He didn't see anyone around, but he had that nagging feeling anyway.

Nevertheless of his thoughts, John threw the papers of notes on his car passenger seat and turned the ignition. Now he had to get to County and into medical work at the ER, which he dearly loved.

* * *

"It's not a great place, but it's a roof over our heads," Dave said, as he pushed open the door and allowed Luka to help him into the apartment.

Luka gazed around at the apartment. White walls covered with a few pictures of Dave and Daniel together. A small bookshelf in one corner and a couch in the other, with a coffee table in front of the couch. There was a doorway to the kitchen and closed doors that probably led to bedrooms. It was a tiny home.

"It's not much, but Daniel and I call it home," Dave said, as Luka helped him over to the couch and he sat with his foot propped up on an arm.

Luka kneeled next to Dave's ankle and, taking both the sock and the worn sneaker off, he gazed intently at Dave's foot, which was swollen and beginning to color. He sighed, it was badly sprained, if not broken.

Dave coughed and closed his eyes, he was tired and his wretched cold was not going to disappear any time soon. Luka, having heard the dryness in the cough, looked up and saw Dave's eyes closed.

"You should get that cough checked out," Luka said, as he stood. "It could turn into pneumonia quickly."

Dave sighed tiredly, "I can't focus on myself," he said sleepily. "I have responsibilities that are more important…."

Luka realized that Dave had fallen asleep and was hopefully going to be okay.

Making a mental note to return to visit Dave after his shift, Luka quietly left the apartment.

* * *

Over at the school playground, Daniel was sitting alone on a bench, watching as the other kids played on both the equipment and the grass. Despite the cold, the energy level was high.

Usually, his friend Lucas would be there to talk to him, but he was home today with a cold.

Nearby, Ella Greene was on the swings and she was watching Daniel. Thinking he was lonely, Ella got off the swings and walked over to the bench. She immediately noticed that he looked extremely sad.

"Hey, Daniel, are you okay?" Ella asked, as she sat down next to him.

Daniel sighed, Ella was nice, but she was a little annoying, "I'm fine, Ella," he said, trying to sound polite.

"Thinking about your dad again?" Ella asked, not willing to leave him alone.

Before Daniel could reply, some fifth grade boys came over and began taunting and making faces at Daniel.

"Yo, Malucci, you still wearing that second hand crap?" one of the boys taunted. "What's the matter, your deadbeat dad can't get a job since he was laid off at that hospital?"

Daniel looked angry, but he did nothing but stare at the ground silently.

The boys continued their taunting for a few more minutes and then sauntered away. Ella gazed at Daniel and saw that tears were rolling down his cheeks. Daniel glanced up at Ella.

"Thanks for coming and talking to me, Ella, but I need to be alone," Daniel said, as he stood up.

Ella nodded and, standing, she returned to her friends on the swings, her concern forgotten.

As he walked back inside the school, Daniel wiped the tears off of his face with his shirt sleeve.

When would his dad be able to stop worrying about others and take care of himself? What would it take?


	4. Stormy Reflections

Knock…knock….knock…

Dave opened his eyes, everything was blurry and he was suddenly very dizzy. He felt sick, and was very surprised to feel that he had a blanket over him. He was still on the couch.

There seemed to be a weight on his lungs, it was hard to breathe His stomach hurt.

"I'll get it," Daniel spoke up suddenly, hurrying out of his bedroom to the door.

Dave was very confused, "Daniel, what are you doing home from school so early?" he weakly asked. "How did you get home?"

Daniel stopped, "Dad, it's nearly six," he said. "You didn't show up after school, so I walked. You were sound asleep on the couch when I got home, so I've just been in my room."

Dave blinked, it was six p.m.? Started, he sat up just in time to see Daniel open the door to Luka, who was lingering in the hallway with a small infant boy in his arms. Both were wearing winter clothing, but Luka's coat was undone.

"Doctor Kovac, what are you doing here?" Dave asked, laying back against the couch while he struggled not to vomit or pass out.

Luka entered the apartment, "My shift is over and I thought I'd come and visit on my way home," he said, concerned about how pale and disoriented Dave looked. "How are you doing?"

"I'm not feeling too well, actually," Dave replied, laying back down. "I think I might have gotten a bad case of the flu from running around in the cold this morning. Either that, or I have pneumonia."

Simultaneously, Joe began to cry. Without a beat, Luka handed Joe and a diaper bag that had been over his shoulder to Daniel, "Can you change Joe's diaper and feed him for me? I'll tell you what to do while I check your dad over."

Daniel nodded and quickly moved Joe to another area on the floor. He began rummaging through the diaper bag and Luka was surprised when Daniel began to change Joe's diaper without instruction.

"My dad works with families a lot and I'm usually there with him, so I kinda know a lot of stuff already" Daniel said, noticing the look of surprise on Luka's face.

As Joe quit crying and cooed, Daniel redressed him, picked him and the bag up, and carried both into the apartment's small kitchen. Noise could be heard as Daniel worked to prepare Joe's supper.

"Daniel's a smart kid," Dave commented weakly, as he watched Luka check his pulse.

Suddenly, Dave began coughing and, after gagging, he took a deep breath. Luka pulled his stethoscope from around his neck and placing it under Dave's shirt, he listened and was immediately concerned.

"Doctor Kovac, you'd better step back," Dave suddenly spoke up weakly, turning his head to the floor.

Without any further warning, Dave vomited on the floor. Luka quickly saw that the vomit was clear. He looked up and saw that although Dave was breathing, his eyes were closed.

"It's all right, Doctor Kovac," Dave spoke weakly. "I'm just trying to combat a dizzy spell. I'm actually okay now, so you should probably get your son home. Infants need a lot of sleep you know."

As if agreeing with his father, Daniel came in and returned both Joe and the diaper bag to Luka, "Thanks for letting me look after your son, Doctor Kovac," he said. "I'll walk you to the door."

Luka took Joe and they walked to the door, which was a fair distance from the living room, and out of Dave's hearing range. Daniel handed Luka the diaper bag, which had a note attached to it.

"Thanks for trying to help my dad, Doctor Kovac," Daniel said in a low voice. "Hopefully, he'll be okay, just don't tell anyone from his old hospital that you saw him okay? He still hurts from being fired."

Luka nodded and took the bag in his free hand, as he held Joe with the other, "I won't tell anyone about seeing your dad," he promised. "If he gets any sicker, you can find me at County ER most of the time. It's not far from here. Take care of him and take care of yourself, okay?"

Daniel nodded, "Thanks, Doctor Kovac." he said, opening the door for Luka to leave.

Luka walked out into the hall and Daniel quickly closed the door.

As Luka left the apartment with Joe and quickly started to his car, which was down the street, he couldn't help but worry what would happen to Dave and Daniel, as they were living in near-destitution.

Time would tell what would happen…..for everyone…..

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The weekend passed quickly and it was now Monday morning, just past sunrise.

It was colder than ever and since Friday night, weather stations had been predicting that a massive snowstorm, the first of the season, would hit Chicago before the weekend was over.

That prediction had come true, as on Sunday night, Chicago was heavily blanketed with snow and ice and as Monday began, it was clear that the city had entered the winter season, despite it only being October.

County was quiet, but it wouldn't stay that way for long, as bad weather in Chicago meant that the hospital would eventually be flooded with people who were in someway, careless in dealing with the weather.

As Frank began a day of work, filing patient charts from the night before, Carter sat at the desk, brooding about having to pay for his car, which suffered some damage when he ran through the busy intersection, and would now cost thousands of dollars to restore to it's former condition.

Until it was fixed, he was either stuck taking the EL to work, or arranging for his limo driver to bring him to and from work each day. Since he didn't want to be the topic of nurse and patient gossip, Carter had opted for the sky train and walking. That wasn't the only issue in his life, however.

Every time him and Kem were alone together, Kem would always discuss Joshua and how much she disliked the hospital for not being able to save him. However, when he suggested family counselling, Kem would always refuse, claiming that counselling trauma victims helped fill the void within her.

Carter continued to sulk as Dr. Mark Greene, who was basically known as the big boss of the ER, hurried past the desk with his younger daughter, Ella, who carried a backpack. Both were dressed in winter clothes.

"Frank, Carter, if the ER happens to get busy, page people from upstairs if I'm not back already," Mark said. "I've got to run Ella to school, as Elizabeth is working and Rachel left early, then I'll be back. Carter instead of sulking about your car, why don't you go see if anything needs restocking? "

Frank chuckled as Mark and Ella hurried outside. Carter stood and walked off to the exam rooms to work.

What was a quiet morning would soon turn into a day of revelation and upmost chaos for County.


	5. From Doctor to Patient

"It's a little early to go inside the school, Daniel, so why don't you play on the swings?" Dave suggested, as he and Daniel, who had walked to the school despite Dave not feeling well and the cold weather. "I can sit on a bench and rest until you go inside."

Daniel nodded and as Dave took a seat, he hurried off and began to swing on the swings, gripping the frosted chains with his gloved hands and pumping for dear life.

On the bench, Dave fought to stay awake, despite the dizzy spell he was experiencing. The entire weekend had been uneventful, as he had not felt well enough to do a great deal, leaving the housekeeping to Daniel.

Now, as Dave slouched a bit on the bench, he suddenly was feeling nauseous and a bit sore.

Not wanting Daniel to see that he was feeling worse, Dave stood and limped off towards a pile of snow. Without warning, he suddenly vomited into the snow and was alarmed to see that it was blood. Worried that Daniel would freak out about the blood, Dave quickly covered it with some clean snow.

Unaware that Mark Greene, who was a sore spot from his past that he preferred not to remember, was parking his car, which contained Ella, across the street, Dave had made up his mind to go home and rest, as Daniel could just go inside the school, which was unlocked, and he would be all right until school started.

Dizziness suddenly overwhelmed him and Dave instantly found himself collapsing to his knees. From what he could tell by the pain in his abdomen, he obviously had suffered internal trauma when he got thrown into that brick siding by the impact of the car. Paling, he fell forward into the snow.

"Dad, are you okay?" Daniel asked, having seen his father collapsed and fall forward into the snow.

Mark, who had seen a man faint, grabbed Ella's hand and hurried over to the playground, perfectly unaware that the man was Dave Malucci, former ER resident, as the man was facedown in the snow.

"Sir, can you hear me?" Mark asked, as he reached the man.

No response. Not wanting the man to asphyxiate, Mark turned him over and was met with a shock.

There, laying on the ground, unconscious with blood on his mouth was Dave Malucci.

Without missing a beat, Mark whipped his cell-phone out of his pocket and dialled 9-1-1, "Hey, this is Doctor Mark Greene from County ER," he said to the dispatcher on the other line. "I need some paramedics at the North Winds Elementary school right away, it's a dire emergency. Don't let County know I'm bringing someone in. Yes, I'll take responsibility for it. Hurry up."

Slapping his cell-phone shut, Mark tossed it in his pocket, knelt down, and that's when he saw the blood in the snow. He silently swore and saw that Malucci was pale. _Crap, low blood pressure_, Mark thought.

"My dad has been sick for a few days," Daniel piped up, as he watched Mark check him over. "Some foreign doctor visited our apartment yesterday, but my dad said he was fine and sent him away."

Mark sighed, he would need to chat with Luka about this once Malucci was receiving hospital treatment, "Ella, why don't you and Daniel go sit in my car and keep warm until the paramedics arrive?" he suggested, handing Ella his keys. "It'll be better if you're someplace I know you're okay."

Ella nodded and taking Daniel's hand, she led him to Mark's car across the road. They both got in quickly.

Sirens could be heard in the distance as Mark continued to work on Malucci, hoping he wasn't too late.

* * *

"Shh, Joe, behave and eat your breakfast like a good baby," Luka cooed gently, as he held Joe and worked to feed him with a spoonful of baby food. The jar was open on the desk, but Joe was resisting it.

It had been a restful night, Joe had slept all through the night, but at five a.m., he had woken up, which meant that Luka had quickly risen, gotten Joe ready for the day, then did a haphazard job of preparing himself, putting them both in Luka's car, and slowly navigating the icy streets of Chicago to work.

Suddenly, the phone rang and, as Jerry was off fooling around somewhere, Luka put the spoon down and quickly, "County General ER, Doctor Kovac speaking," he said.

* * *

Many blocks away, in the back of an ambulance, Mark was sitting on a bench next to Daniel, who was in tears as he watched the paramedics work to try and stabilize his dad, "Luka, I need you to gather a few nurses and meet me at the ambulance bay in about 10 minutes," he ordered. "Don't tell anyone, but Malucci took a turn for the worse this morning and I'm in an ambulance with him and his kid right now, en route to County. When you get the nurses, just say that a patient is coming in."

Luka nodded, "Mark, I know it was dishonest of me not to mention him before, but-"

Mark cut him off, "Don't worry about it, Luka," he said through the phone, "Just get everything ready. Bye"

Quickly hanging up the phone, Luka stood and holding Joe tight, he hurried off to the elevators.

The day care wasn't officially open yet, but maybe he could talk a nurse upstairs into watching Joe while he helped in the ER. It was his fault that Dave was being brought in now, so he would have to face up to it.

"Oh my land," Haleh gasped, as she saw who Dr. Greene had brought into the ER on a gurney.

At seeing Malucci, Lydia didn't say anything, but her eyes were wide as she, Haleh, and Mark quickly moved their unconscious former colleague to a trauma room.

"Haleh, do vitals, Lydia hook up some fluids, and I'm going to order an immediate ultrasound," Mark said, as he walked over to the phone and picked up the receiver.

As Mark began arranging tests on the phone, Luka walked into the trauma room and paled immediately, Dave was looking really bad. He felt guilty now that he hadn't dragged him into the hospital on Friday.

"Temp's 102.…BP's 85/45.….Pulse is 70.…."

Luka swore loudly as he came over to the gurney where Dave lay. From the information he saw on the newly created chart, Dave's blood pressure was very low and continuing to drop. There must be some serious bleeding from somewhere, but seeing as there was no exterior bleeding, it had to be internal. _What had happened to him before the weekend to cause it?_

Haleh and Lydia were busy administering medication to stabilize Malucci, as well as continually checking his ever-worsening vitals. When Malucci had been initially brought in, all they could do was stare at their former colleague in shock. Now, they assumed the nurse role and were treating their patient. Chuny had since arrived and was assisting Lydia with the IV fluids. She had nothing to say about Malucci either.

"Doctor Kovac, he's waking up," Chuny suddenly said, as she noticed Dave's eyes flutter and slowly open.

Luka looked up from the chart and saw that Dave was awake and gazing around at his surroundings tiredly.

"I'm at County, aren't I?" Dave asked tiredly, his voice barely louder than a whisper.

Luka looked down at Dave apologetically, "I'm sorry I didn't bring you in sooner, Dave," he said.

A little confused, Dave blinked, "What happened to me?" he asked, not knowing why he was there or how he ended up in an emergency room. "Last thing I remember is taking Daniel to school…"

Before Luka could reply, Mark came back from the phone and saw that Malucci was awake, "We'll move you to a private exam room now, as we can't be clogging up a trauma room," he said, gazing down at Dave. "You'll have some tests done, and then, we'll take it from there."

Dave nodded and closed his eyes, he was too ill and exhausted to argue. Mark looked really concerned at that, as in the past, Malucci was full of energy. Now, years later, Malucci was a completely different person.

"What exactly happened this morning, Mark?" Luka asked, as he helped the nurses prepare to move the gurney. "You didn't give me a lot of information on the phone."

As they moved the gurney into the hallway and towards an exam room, Mark looked up at Luka, "I was dropping Ella off at school this morning and I saw that some man had collapsed in the snow, with his kid crying beside him," he said. "When I got to the spot, I saw that it was Malucci, and the boy was his son."

Luka pushed open the door to an unoccupied exam room and with Mark's help, he rolled Dave inside and placed the gurney in the corner of the room. Luka hung the IV bags on the IV stands.

"I'll stay with him for now," Luka said, as he sat in a plastic chair near the door. "He might wake up again and he might feel better if someone was there to keep him company."

Mark nodded and left the room to go see about the ultrasound machine. As the door closed, Luka looked over at Dave and saw that he was once again awake. He moved the chair to Dave's bedside.

A sudden wave of nausea washed over Dave and he immediately regretted opening his eyes.

"Not doing too well?" Luka asked, looking at Dave with a great deal of concern.

Dave was tempted to give Luka an evil look, but lacked the energy, "I feel like absolute crap, Doctor Kovac," he admitted. "The pain is getting worse and I feel like I'm going to puke blood again."

"Just take a deep breath and close your eyes," Luka gently insisted. "Doctor Greene will come back soon with the ultrasound machine and we'll figure out what's wrong."

Dave sighed, "I was going to get some groceries and when I was crossing this street, this fancy car came speeding towards me," he said weakly, closing his eyes. "I was thrown to another sidewalk.."

Luka said nothing, so Dave continued, "Thanks for staying me with me, Doctor Kovac," he said.

Exhausted from speaking so much, Dave promptly dropped off back to sleep.

As he watched Dave sleep, a sudden thought came to Luka; Carter was the only one he knew around the ER who drove a fancy car. Luka also knew that Carter had been under major stress lately and he could have decided to go for a drive and he could have been speeding. Could Carter have hit Dave with his car?

Luka sighed and leaned back so his head was against the wall. He would have to talk to Carter later on.


	6. Changing Attitudes

"Mark, I'm a bloody good surgeon, yes, but I don't know if I can be of help," Elizabeth Corday-Greene, Mark's wife and a prominent surgeon at County said, as she placed Dave's chart on the desk and gave her husband a frustrated look. "It's MALUCCI, for heaven sakes, how do I know this isn't a prank?"

Mark sighed, "Elizabeth, you need to trust me on this, it's not a prank," he said, picking up Dave's chart. "This isn't a prank; Malucci's got a young son about Ella's age who's scared to death for his father."

Elizabeth's eyes widened, "A son?" she asked, in shock. "Malucci has a son? I didn't know…."

"Nobody knew until recently," Mark replied. "Malucci was never one to discuss his personal life."

Before Elizabeth could reply, Lydia came out of the lounge with Daniel, who was carrying some workbooks under his arm. From where he was at the desk, Frank, who had just returned from the bathroom, smiled at the little boy and resumed working.

"Doctor Greene, where's my dad?" Daniel asked, gazing up at Mark with a worried expression.

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow as she stared at the child. This cute child was Malucci's son?

Mark and Lydia exchanged a concerned glance, but before they could reply, Elizabeth spoke up, "I'm a doctor who operates on people," she said gently. "I'm here to see if your dad needs an operation to help him feel better."

Daniel nodded, but he still looked worried, "Can I see my dad?" he asked worriedly.

Elizabeth nodded, "I have all of his test results, so you can come," she said. "If you get too scared, you need to let Lydia know so she can take you from your dad's room, okay?"

"I'm not scared of anything, but okay." Daniel said. "My dad taught me to be brave with stuff like this."

Frank, fearing for Daniel's reaction, suddenly spoke up, "You know, I could use an assistant out here for a few minutes." he said gently. "Perhaps Malucci's son could help me for a bit."

Sighing, Daniel nodded and moved to stand beside Frank at the computer. He was so worried for his dad.

Elizabeth sighed and moved off down the hallway to see Dave. Mark and Lydia quickly followed.

It was nearly quiet in Dave's room, only the sound of Luka's gentle accent could be heard.

* * *

Even though he was tired, Dave was unable to sleep, so he just listened to Luka, occasionally commenting.

When Luka explained the news about Abby and how her actions resulted in him becoming a single parent, Dave was shocked that Abby even drank, let alone almost killed her own child despite being a nurse for many years prior. As a father, that news suddenly made him more protective of Daniel.

While he talked, Luka reflected that things were now very different than they were several years ago.

Perhaps, just perhaps, attitudes could also be changed along with life circumstances, Luka supposed.

However, before he could tell Dave his thoughts, the door opened and Dr. Greene came into the room, accompanied by Lydia and Elizabeth. Dave noticed that there was a thick folder in Dr. Greene's hand.

For a moment, Dave and Elizabeth's eyes met and they studied each other in total silence.

_Mark was right, Malucci is down on his luck and maybe, just maybe, I should be nicer to him, _Elizabeth thought, as she took the chart from Mark and opened it. _He seems very different now than before._

"Okay, Malucci, let's see what we have," Mark said, switching on the light box and placing the x-ray films on the board. "From what I can see here, you have a fractured ankle. You also have a few fractured ribs."

Dave grimaced, "Is that the worst of it?" he asked, dreading what the ultrasound results would reveal.

Elizabeth sighed and placed a hand on Mark's shoulder, while holding the chart in the other, "You've got serious internal bleeding, Malucci," she said solemnly, gazing right into Dave's eyes. "You'll be going upstairs to the O.R. very soon."

Dave raised an eyebrow, "So quickly?" he asked, confused. "Doesn't it take a while?"

"Somehow, Doctor Romano heard about you being here and he insisted on you being operated on right away," she said, forging a smile. "Anyway we're going to take really good care of you, so don't worry."

Despite the promise of surgery, Dave looked extremely troubled, "I can't go through with this," he said, tiredness in his voice. "I need to be there for my son."

There was an instant silence, then, without warning, Luka spoke up, "You don't need to worry about Daniel," he said gently. "He'll be looked after."

Letting out a sigh of relief, Dave blinked, "I was worried that with me in the hospital, needing surgery, Daniel would be taken by social services and placed in a foster home while I recovered. I don't want that."

Luka and Mark exchanged a look, then Luka spoke, "Do you honestly think I would allow that to happen, Dave?" he questioned. "Daniel can stay with Joe and me until you are well enough to do it yourself. He will be good company for me when Joe is asleep."

For the first time in a long time, Dave managed a weak smile, "Thank you, Doctor Kovac," he said weakly. "You wanting to look after my son while I'm feeling like crap means a lot."

Elizabeth smiled again, "I'm tired, but Doctor Romano is going to wrangle up some help for me," she said, as she raised one of the gurney rails. "Don't worry about it anymore, all right?"

Dave managed a tired nod. Even though Dr. Benton could be one of her "assisters", he had to stay calm.

"Let's get Malucci upstairs," Elizabeth insisted. "Even if there's more waiting in the pre-op area, it's better than making him wait down here, in the noisy ER."

Dave remained silent as he watched Lydia unplug the machines and raise the other gurney rail. Did these people, who called him incompetent and irresponsible years ago, really care about whether he lived or died?

Did they really care about his living situation and how he was a single father trying to endure life?

"Can you take me past the desk on the way upstairs?" Dave suddenly asked, looking expectantly at Dr. Greene. "I want to talk to Daniel."

It was an unusual request, they all thought, but then again, having Malucci here as a patient was a very unusual situation. Dr. Greene nodded and gave Malucci a reassuring glance.

"Just relax, Malucci," Mark calmly told Dave, feeling sad over the way he probably felt about this whole situation that was beyond his control. "We'll go by the desk on our way upstairs."

Letting out a deep sigh of relief, one which made his entire body hurt, Dave allowed himself to be rolled from the exam room and into the hallway. Dave was well aware that he was being stared at by people who recognized him and were too surprised to hold it in. He was used to shocking people.

Fortunately, in no time at all, they reached the desk, where Daniel was sitting in front of a nasty looking picture book. Seeing his dad there, Daniel hopped off the chair and came around to the gurney.

"Listen, kiddo," Dave said, taking hold of Daniel's hand. "I'm being taken upstairs for surgery now, but I need you to be brave and not worry about me, okay? Doctor Kovac is going to look after you while I get better and you need to be on your best behavior for him…..No matter what happens now, I want you to remember that I will always love you dearly, Daniel. You are my greatest treasure and joy."

Exhausted from talking so much without taking a breath, Dave laid back. Daniel kissed Dave's cheek and after a moment of hesitation, released his dad's hand. His dad was right, he needed to be brave.

"I love you too, Dad," Daniel said, as Dave was rolled away.

Wanting to comfort the boy, who obviously looked like he needed a friend, Luka remained at the desk. He watched as Daniel returned to his seat and stared down at the desk, ignoring the book.

Smiling calmly, Luka looked down at Daniel, "Your dad is going to be fine, Daniel." he reassured the troubled young boy. "The surgery will help him to feel better. I will be there for you while he recovers."

Luka put his arm around Daniel and joined him in looking at the book of medical pictures.

* * *

Meanwhile, Carter was parking his car, which now had a huge dent on the front from whatever he hit during his drive, in the hospital parkade. The dent was a pain, but he could afford to have it fixed.

As he got out of the car and walked through the parkade, Carter scoffed in frustration. His day could not get any worse. First, he had a fight with Kem this morning; then he hit something with his car; now, thanks to the ever-annoying Dr. Weaver, he had to come into work and do a double shift.

"John Carter?" a deep voice suddenly spoke up.

Startled, Carter whirled around to see two uniformed police officers standing there with their arms folded.

"That's my name, officers," Carter said, exasperated. "What can I do for you?"

One of the officers sighed, "According to witnesses, you sped through a controlled intersection this morning and hit a pedestrian," he said gravely. "You didn't even stop, you fled the scene."

"I didn't hit a pedestrian," Carter said, annoyed. "I would have known it if I did that."

The other officer glared at Carter, "Is there anyone that can vouch for you?" he asked, annoyed. "We don't make things up, Mr. Carter. We take the testimony of witnesses very seriously."

"It's Doctor Carter, actually," Carter said. "Yes, all of my ER colleagues at County General can vouch for me. I have every honorable quality under the sun. You can ask anybody that works in the ER."

The officers nodded, "All right, DOCTOR Carter," they said. "Please, let's go interview your colleagues."

Carter nodded and led the officers up through the parkade towards the ambulance bay doors.


	7. Problems All Around

"Peter, it's about time you showed up!" Dr. Greene exclaimed, as he saw Dr. Benton step off the elevator and on to the hospital's surgical floor. "You've got a serious case that needs your assistance."

As Dr. Greene began walking down the hall towards the pre-op room, Dr. Benton followed, "Who's the patient and what's the surgery?" he asked.

Mark hesitated, and then finally decided to be honest, "Um, well, the patient is actually Dave Malucci," he admitted, forcing himself to look Peter in the face. "He's got a trashed spleen and broken ribs that need setting. Elizabeth is already scrubbing up."

At the mention of Malucci, Peter stopped in his tracks, "Mark, I don't know if I can be of help," he admitted. "I had my problems with Malucci and I don't know if I can help him, especially after how he acted when Jesse was killed. Malucci's nothing but an arrogant idiot."

Mark sighed, he knew what Peter was talking about, "Look, Peter, all that was a long time ago and you need to forget the past and address the present, like many of us have had to do in order to deal with this situation objectively," he said, gazing at his friend. "Besides, Malucci's son is waiting in the ER with Doctor Kovac and from what I've seen, he's very worried about his father."

Peter widened his eyes, "Malucci's got a son?" he asked, shocked. "How old is he?"

"I think Ella, who is Daniel's classmate, mentioned that Daniel is eight," Mark replied. "I can ask Luka, though, he's downstairs keeping Daniel company during the surgery."

Sighing, Peter rolled his eyes, "Where is Malucci now?" he asked, feeling he would have no choice.

'He's resting in pre-op at the moment," Mark said, raising an eyebrow. "The surgeons are scrubbing in and when they're ready, Malucci will be moved into an O.R."

Benton scoffed. He really felt uncomfortable helping Malucci considering their conflicts in the past. Mark noticed Peter's discomfort about the subject and gazed at his friend sternly.

"If you don't want to help with the surgery, you should go down to the ER and explain yourself to Daniel about why you don't want to do it," Mark sternly explained. "Malucci was reckless, irresponsible, and insensitive, yes, but that was then, this is now and he needs County's help."

Swallowing hard, Peter glared at Mark, "All right, I'll help," he grudgingly agreed. "I'm not doing this for Malucci, though; I'm doing it for his son. I know what it's like to be a single parent and if it were me, I would want Reese not to have to worry about it."

Mark nodded, "Better hurry, Doctor Benton," he said, smiling at his friend. "You don't want Elizabeth to start operating without you."

Benton nodded and silently walked off down the hallway towards the scrub room, passing Dr. Romano, who was coming towards Dr. Greene with an unusually expectant look on his face.

"My understanding is that Kerry and Doctor Carter are coming in to help cover the ER, correct?" Robert asked, raising an eyebrow. "Under no circumstances are they to know that Malucci is at County. I don't want a war breaking out, especially when Malucci is in no condition to defend himself. Are we clear?"

Mark nodded, "I don't think a war will break out over this," he said, surprised by Robert's protection of Malucci. "However, I won't tell them. This won't go beyond the people already involved."

Robert nodded, "Good," he snapped.

"I'm going to go and get Ella from the ER," Mark continued, relieved that Romano was now quiet. "Then, we'll come back up here and hang out for a while. I want to be there when Malucci is taken to Recovery."

Robert nodded, "It's good that people are showing concern for Malucci now," he stated. "Maybe if we had all thought to show compassion and concern a long time ago, Malucci might have been motivated to work harder and might still be on staff at County today. Remember, not a word to Doctor Carter or Kerry."

Mark nodded and walked off towards the elevators. As he pressed the button and waited, it hit him, Romano was acting extremely strange about Malucci. It was strange, but he knew better than to ask about it.

Brushing thoughts, that were probably none of his business, out of his mind, Mark stepped on to the elevator. Perhaps he was just reading too much into the situation and Romano was just being a good doctor. Ever since his accident, Romano had focused more on people than the medicine itself.

* * *

Downstairs, Carter and the officers entered the ER only to see Luka sitting at the desk with a young boy on his lap and a binder open on the desk in front of them. Luka looked up and was surprised to see Carter.

"Luka, where's Doctor Greene at?" Carter asked, as he approached the desk. "These cops need to talk to someone about my good character."

Luka sighed, "Mark helped move a patient up to surgery," he said, flipping the page so that Daniel would have new pictures to look at. "Why are these officers following you?"

"Apparently, I ran over someone with my car," Carter said, ignoring Daniel's sudden, curious stare. "They wanted to arrest me, but I convinced them to talk to some of my colleagues about my integrity. I wouldn't hit someone with my car, but they need proof. I have a dent on my car, but I did not hit a person!"

Suddenly remembering Dave's statement about a car hitting him, Luka raised an eyebrow, "Actually, Carter, you might have done more damage than you actually realize," he said, giving Carter a serious look. "Several hours ago, a man came in here with internal trauma that came from being hit by a speeding car."

Daniel piped up, "My dad's having an operation right now," he said, glaring at Carter. "If you ran him over, why didn't you stay and tell the police that you did it? My dad always tells ME to tell the truth."

Carter paled, "Y-You mean I actually DID hit someone with my car?" he asked, gazing to the police officers in horror. He glanced back to Daniel, who looked very upset.

"We'd like to talk to the victim before we take Doctor Carter downtown for processing," one of the officers said. "We'll wait here with the doctor until it's a good time to get an official statement."

Luka nodded, "Feel free to get some coffee from the lounge while you wait," he said, pointing to the lounge. "It might be a while before you can do anything."

The officers nodded and strode off to the lounge. Carter gulped and began to walk off.

"I'm going upstairs to talk with Kem about this," Carter said, just before he went out of sight of Luka. "I won't be gone very long."

Luka nodded and returned to looking at the book with Daniel, who was trying not to cry at this point.

Hopefully, things would work out for everyone involved.

* * *

Sounds of steady beeping filled Peter's ears as he entered the O.R., fully donned in surgical gear with his hands thoroughly scrubbed. Corday was already there, gazing down at the table.

Surprisingly, Anspaugh was also there, wearing scrubs and a surgical mask.

"I talked with Doctor Romano about this situation and I won't be doing more than assisting on this," Doctor Anspaugh said. "I'll give the occasional direction for Doctor Malucci's sake, that's all."

The x-ray and ultrasound films were placed on light boards around the room. A few O.R. nurses were also present and were lingering, waiting for instruction.

Approaching the table, Peter saw that Malucci was lying unconscious on the table with an anesthesia mask over his face and he was covered with blankets. He sighed, Malucci looked really awful.

"I confess, I'm as surprised as you are, Peter," Elizabeth spoke up, as she noticed his surprised expression about Malucci being there. "I was especially surprised to learn that Malucci has an eight-year old son who obviously worships and loves his father dearly. I thought there was only one side to Malucci."

Peter nodded, "Hey, it was a surprise to me too," he admitted. "Who thought someone as arrogant, insensitive, and brash as Malucci was could be a responsible father?"

"All right, let's get started," Anspaugh said, giving looks to both Elizabeth and Peter. "Elizabeth you open him up and help the nurses drain the blood," he ordered. "After that's done, move to the ribs and Peter, that's when you'll assess the damage to the spleen. There may have to be a splenectomy."

After taking a moment to let Anspaugh's words sink in, Elizabeth nodded, "Scalpel," he ordered.

Peter made an initial cut and suddenly, a fountain of blood squirted out. The machines went haywire.

"Pressure's dropping rapidly," a nurse commented.

Elizabeth swore and as he got further in, he realized that there was a great deal of blood in Malucci's abdomen. She looked up at Anspaugh, who, in turn, gazed at Peter to look for himself.

"I think his spleen is trashed," Peter stated, gazing into Malucci's abdomen. "There's a lot of blood here."

Without looking up from his work, Anspaugh sighed, "Remove it," he ordered. "Suction out all of the blood, get the spleen out of there, and see if any other organs suffered damage."

The quick beeping continued as Elizabeth continued suctioning. Peter prepared to take the spleen out.

"Stats are dropping," another nurse commented, as she studied the monitor.

"C'mon, Malucci," Peter barked, now worried about the outcome. "Hang in there."


	8. More Questions Arise

"John, I honestly don't know what to say," Kem said, as she sat up straighter in her chair. "If you ran someone over in your car, you need to take responsibility for it."

Carter scoffed, "I know I ran someone over, Kem," he said. "Why did they wait until NOW to bring it to me? I have a double shift in the ER, then, tomorrow, I have a meeting with some lawyers about the site."

Kem smiled gently, "Another meeting about trying to get that clinic's land for the medical center?" she asked, placing her hand on top of Carter's. "Why don't you just find a vacant lot?"

Carter sighed, "If the owner of that clinic doesn't contact me, or my lawyers, I might," he admitted. "However, I'm not going to give up if there's even the slightest chance that I'll get it."

"You need to just relax, John," Kem said gently. "How about we go home and spend some time together tonight? I want to show you some information about private practices I found on the Internet."

Shaking his head, Carter let out another sigh, "Kerry pegged me for a double shift, and I'm not off until tomorrow night," he groaned. "I need to get back down there soon, anyway."

Kem nodded as Carter rose from his chair, "I'll see you then, darling," she said, as he walked to the door.

Carter smiled and left the room. Kem leaned back in her chair, trying not to cry at the hardness of their conversation. Their marriage had been falling apart since Joshua died and it wasn't getting any better.

* * *

"There's some weird looking stuff in this box, Doctor Kovac," Daniel said, as he rooted through the fridge in the ER doctor's lounge.

Luka chuckled as he sat on the couch, cuddling Joe as he slept. It had been nearly two hours since Dave was taken upstairs and still no word had come. Fortunately, Daniel had seemed to take his father's counsel to heart and was trying to focus on positive things and not worry.

Daniel came out of the fridge holding a paper plate of brownies that were wrapped in plastic wrap, "Can we eat these, Doctor Kovac?" he asked, looking up at Luka eagerly.

Luka smiled at the eager boy, "You can have one," he explained. "We'll go back to my place soon and I'll get you some nutritious food for supper."

Daniel nodded and carefully took a brownie from the plate. He then put the rest away and, after closing the fridge door. He stared around the lounge with wonder in his eyes.

"This whole room is bigger than our house," Daniel said, munching on the delicious brownie. "I should go home and get some stuff for my dad since he'll probably be in the hospital for a while."

Luka stood and carried the sleeping Joe over to his locker. With one arm, he managed to get his coat out and put it over himself and the infant. He turned back to face Daniel.

"We can do that tomorrow," Luka said. "It's getting late and your dad won't be up to any visitors tonight when he is out of surgery. Tomorrow, after school, we'll do that. I promise."

Daniel nodded, "Okay," he agreed. "I'm getting tired, anyway. It's been a long day."

Luka smiled, "Yes, Daniel," he said. "It certainly has been a long day."

* * *

Evening was a hard time for Kerry Weaver to work.

Shortly after she had arrived, Carter had come to the desk and in silence, he had gone into the lounge and every now and then, she could hear voices, which, she assumed, was his wife. They were probably just spending some time together before it got busy again.

Nearly an hour later, two cops had emerged from the lounge and had left. A few moments later, Carter came out, grabbed a stack of paperwork and charts, and had planted himself at the desk, near the patient board.

Thankfully, despite the angry look on his face, Carter had remained quiet, concentrating on his work.

Despite her wanting to stay at home with Henry, Kerry had left him with a very responsible baby-sitter and had come to work. Now, in the quiet, she was going through the day-shift's patient charts.

Strangely, not long after Carter had come to the desk, Luka had left in a hurry with Joe and some other little boy that looked strangely familiar. She had merely shrugged and immediately commenced working.

The charts seemed to be in good order, Kerry thought, as she signed off on another one and added it to the pile of charts that Frank was going to file whenever he was at the desk. She reached for the next one and after reading the diagnosis, she looked at the name and suddenly froze.

_D. Malucci…Dave Malucci…former ER resident Dave Malucci is here, in this hospital, _she realized.

Swearing loudly, Kerry knocked the whole pile of charts to the ground, only keeping Malucci's in her hand. The charts hit the floor and scattered as Dr. Greene walked out of the lounge with Ella.

"Mark, what is the meaning of this chart with Malucci's name on it?" Kerry said, holding up the chart for Dr. Greene to see. "If Malucci's here, where is he?"

Mark sighed, he knew it would be found out sooner or later, "Doctor Kovac and I admitted him earlier," he confessed.

Kerry raised an eyebrow in surprise. Kovac was involved in this too? He would be dealt with later.

Ella suddenly piped up, "Daniel's dad is getting fixed up by the surgeons," she said, gazing up at Kerry, who looked shocked. "He puked some red stuff at the school playground. He then fell down and wouldn't get up, so Daddy and Doctor Luka brought him here in an ambulance."

Kerry smiled at Ella, "Who is Daniel's father?" she gently asked.

"Kerry, Daniel is Dave Malucci's eight year old son," Mark explained, placing a hand on Ella's shoulder.

Kerry felt horrible at hearing those words. Years ago, when she had fired him, Malucci had clearly said that he had a kid to support and she didn't believe him, cruelly sending him on his way instead.

However, before she could reply, she saw a blonde-haired woman walk into the ER. She was wearing a dark winter coat, gloves, and a scarf over dress pants and a decent looking top and there was a large satchel in her hand. The expression on her face was one of extreme concern.

"Excuse me, I was wondering if you could help me?" the woman asked Mark, as she approached the desk. "I'm looking for a Doctor Dave Malucci. I believe he's been at County since this morning."

From where he was sitting, Carter raised an eyebrow, this woman was obviously crazy, "Doctor Malucci was fired YEARS ago, ma'am," he said, smirking in amusement. "Besides, why would he come to County as a patient if he couldn't even be here as a doctor without getting fired?"

The woman suddenly looked very angry and without speaking, she slapped Carter across the face hard.

Kerry's eyes widened at this woman's spunk. Mark had to keep himself from bursting into laughter. The woman was obviously a friend of Dave's and Carter deserved the slap for being rude to her.

Well, if it isn't Doctor Carter ticking someone off again," Romano sarcastically spoke, as he walked up to the desk area and seeing the woman. "Hello, ma'am, I'm Doctor Romano, what can I do for you?"

The woman looked very relieved to see Romano, "I wish to see Doctor Dave Malucci," she requested. "I know he was brought here yesterday and I would like to see him right now."

"He's in surgery right now," Mark said, gazing at the woman. "I don't know what's going on with that."

Nodding, the woman spoke again, "Where is Daniel at?" she asked, concerned. "I hope he's all right."

"I saw Luka leave with Joe and a little boy just as I came in," Kerry revealed. "Daniel looks so much like his father. Why is Luka babysitting him instead of his mother?"

"Who is Luka?" the woman asked, raising an eyebrow. "Why did he take Daniel home with him?"

"Luka is actually Doctor Luka Kovac, one of our esteemed ER staff," Mark said. "Before Malucci was taken up to surgery, Luka promised that he would look after Daniel for him."

For the first time since she arrived, the woman looked relieved, "That's good," she said.

Mark shrugged, "Ella and I are going upstairs to wait for news on the surgery," he admitted. "Would you like to come with us, ma'am? You obviously seem to be very concerned about him."

The woman nodded, "I'd like that very much," she said.

Kerry thought for a moment, "Would you like some company, Mark?" she offered.

"I thought you didn't like Malucci, Kerry," Mark replied, slightly surprised.

Kerry sighed and stood, "I made some wrongful judgments in the past, Mark," she admitted, moving to join them. "I need to make up for my past behavior, starting now."

Mark nodded and gripping Ella's hand, he started towards the elevators. Kerry and the woman quickly followed. Strangely enough, Romano lingered at the desk and made a phone call.

Mark and Kerry hoped that the surgery would go well and Malucci would be all right.

Carter, who had been unnoticed for the past few moments, was in shock about what he had just learned. Honestly, he couldn't believe his ears. Malucci was NOT a patient at County. ..Right?

Deciding to check it out for himself, Carter quickly and silently followed after them. Fortunately for him, Romano was preoccupied with the phone call and didn't seem to notice he had left.

To avoid being noticed and reprimanded, he quietly began ascending the stairs.


	9. Reconciling and Seeking Answers

The elevator ride was short and silent.

As soon as the doors opened, Mark immediately could see Peter and Elizabeth coming down the hallway towards them. They all got off the elevator and Mark looked at Kerry expectantly.

"Could you take Ella into the waiting room, please Kerry?" Mark asked. "I want to talk with Elizabeth and Peter about the surgery and then I'm going to sit with Malucci in recovery until he wakes up."

Kerry nodded and, taking Ella's hand, she led her off to the surgical waiting room. Mark walked up to Peter and Elizabeth. They both looked tired but satisfied.

"There was a LOT of blood lost," Peter explained. "Basically, instead of a repair, I had to perform a splenectomy. Malucci nearly crashed from bleeding internally, but we stabilized him. We had to get some blood for him before we stopped operating. His pressure's gonna be low for a while, so he's on saline."

The woman, who had gotten off and had been silently absorbing all that the surgeon was saying suddenly spoke, "Is Doctor Malucci going to be all right?" she asked, concerned.

Peter looked to the woman and a look of recognition crossed his face, then quickly it went away, "Malucci will be fine, just feeling like crap for a long while," he replied. "He's resting in post-op now."

"Would you like to go and see him?" Mark asked, gesturing down the hall. "I'm going down there now to be with him when he wakes up."

The woman shook her head, "I have family and work responsibilities, so I can't right now," she said in a regretful tone. "Just tell Dave that Doctor Faith stopped by and that I'll come by when I can."

Mark nodded and walked off down the hallway towards the post-op room.

With that, Dr. Faith turned and began walking back down the hall, accompanied by Dr. Romano, who had seemingly appeared from a nearby room. He seemed to be protective of the woman.

Unknown to anyone, Carter came up the stairs and saw Dr. Romano opening the fire exit doors for the woman who he quickly recognized as the one who slapped his face down in the ER. He looked down the hall and saw Kerry and Mark lingering outside of what appeared to be a patient room, talking.

Shrugging, Carter figured that the whole thing about Malucci HAD to be just a silly joke. However, who was the woman and why was she there? There were still too many questions for Carter to dismiss Malucci's presence entirely.

Being extra quiet to not bring attention to his presence, Carter waited until Romano walked away from the fire exit and then he quietly crept across the hall. He opened the door and disappeared into the fire exit.

One way or another, Carter would find out the truth about the mystery surrounding this strange woman and also about this mention of Malucci. Was he or was he not a patient in hiding at County?

* * *

Dave's unconscious form lay on the gurney, covered with a gown and with two blankets that went from his waist all the way to the end of the gurney, just barely covering his feet. Beside him, the monitor beeped steadily.

His left hand had a needle in it that was connected to a bag of transfusing blood. Several IV's decorated his right arm and there was a pulse ox cable on one of his fingers, that kept track of his vitals from a machine.

Down the gown a bit, there was another lumpy area which was bandages that covered the incision that was stitched after the splenectomy was performed. There was also a cast on his ankle, covering the repairs.

Mark entered the room and quietly walked over to where Malucci lay, luckily, still unconscious. Grabbing a plastic chair from nearby, he sat next to the gurney. It could be a while yet before Malucci woke up.

From what he could see on the various machines, Mark reasoned that Malucci was physically ill and had a mild fever. Hopefully, now that his injuries were repaired, the fever would quickly dissapate.

Mark took a wallet from his pocket. It belonged to Malucci and Peter had given it to him, as it was found in Malucci's clothes earlier, which had been ruined and subsequently thrown out.

The monitor suddenly started to beep faster. Malucci twitched slightly. Mark leaned closer.

Dave's eyes slowly opened and there was silence as his world came into focus. He let out a weak groan.

"Where's…Daniel?" Dave spoke sleepily, as he struggled to come to awareness. "Is he…okay?"

Mark gazed at Dave, "Daniel went home with Doctor Kovac and his infant son," he explained, as Malucci's gaze rested on him. "Daniel will stay there tonight and Luka will take him to school in the morning. He's perfectly safe and sound, Malucci, don't worry."

Dave nodded and suddenly, a look of disgust crossed his face, "Oh, man," he moaned. "I feel a little…"

Before Mark could stop him, Dave jerked into an upright position, turned his head and vomited all over the floor. Coughing, Dave closed his eyes and groaned in pain as he lay back down.

"The pain…." Dave sleepily muttered. "I hurt…so much."

Mark tried to not look at or smell the vomit, it was disgusting, but he knew that Malucci couldn't help himself. Considering he had just had serious surgery, Malucci was entitled to vomit.

The door opened and Kerry, who had left Ella with Elizabeth and come to check on Malucci herself, came into the room. She winced when she saw Malucci coughing and vomit on the floor.

"There, there, Malucci," Kerry said, as she grabbed a plastic cup and filled it with water from a small sink in the room. "Just relax."

Feeling bad for Malucci's predicament, Kerry walked over and gently put the cup to Dave's lips, "Drink this nice and slowly," she calmly directed. "It'll help with the coughing."

Dave managed to drink all of it, "Thank..you…," he sleepily mumbled.

Mark sighed and pressed the button that would give Malucci some much needed pain medication, "Malucci's in a lot of pain, Kerry," he explained, noticing Kerry's surprised reaction to him pressing the medication administration button on the side of the gurney. "This will help him sleep some more."

Just as Dave closed his eyes again, Peter came into the room holding Malucci's chart. He frowned when he saw both Mark and Kerry there, as it was unusual for so many to be in post-op with a patient and then, with a whiff, he noticed the vomit on the floor and winced.

"What happened here?" Peter asked, strolling over and placing the chart on the gurney.

"Malucci woke up and asked about his son," Mark explained. "After that, he promptly sat up and got sick. I gave him some medication and he just fell back asleep."

Peter scoffed, "He sat up?!" he barked, annoyed. "No wonder he would be in pain and need meds….Anyway, since he woke up, Malucci will probably be moved to a private room on the recovery floor within half an hour or sooner. He'll be closely monitored in his room."

"Mark, go home with Elizabeth and Ella," Kerry suddenly spoke up. "I'll help Peter move Malucci to his room and I'll hang around and keep an eye on him tonight. I'm on tonight anyway."

After a moment of hesitation, Mark nodded. He placed the wallet in Dave's uninjured hand and silenty left the room, making a mental note to phone Luka as soon as he got home.

Peter and Kerry watched as Malucci slept. He was alive, but still had a long way to go before he was okay.

* * *

Stalking wasn't normal behavior for Carter, but his curiosity had gotten the better of him. He had quietly followed Dr. Faith from the hospital and then in his car, he had journeyed from the safer area into the Chicago slums.

After going to various places throughout Chicago, Dr. Faith had finally, to the relief of Carter, parked the run down car that she was using in front of a building, got out of the car, and disappeared inside. Carter had watched her movements carefully all the way.

Carter parked his car next to the curb and stepped out into the Chicago air. Looking around, he realized that this was one of the rougher areas in Chicago and wondered why Dr. Faith came here, of all places.

Suddenly, he saw a large building not far down the street. The sign on it read "Free Clinic of Hope."

_A free clinic in this neighborhood? _Carter thought, as he walked towards the run-down building in awe.

"That Doctor Faith is crazier than I thought," Carter quietly murmured as he pushed open the metal door and walked inside the clinic to have a look around. "Nobody would put a medical clinic here."

Carter quickly realized that he was standing in a foyer of some sort and, as he walked, he could see that there was an area of plastic chairs near some terribly outdated vending machines that he assumed, was a patient waiting area. Surprisingly, it was in the far left corner, down the wall from the doors.

There were doors all around, leading into what Carter assumed were trauma, exam, and private patient rooms. Medical supplies of all kind, including IV's and machines, were all over the place, ready for use.

Raising an eyebrow, Carter approached what looked to be the admit desk, which was in the middle of the room. It was terribly disorganized with pens and loose papers and there was an unused filing cabinet a few metres away. Right away, however, he noticed a small plaque on the desk that had a photo on it.

_This is to dedicate the opening day of the "Free Clinic of Hope" located in the downtown district of Chicago, Illinois. The city of Chicago welcomes the clinic and wishes its staff all the luck and success in the world. May the clinic better address and successfully help meet the medical needs of the public from 2003 onward._

Carter gazed at the photo. He immediately noticed that a younger looking Dr. Faith was in the middle of the photo, which was taken outside the clinic. Shockingly, on either side stood Malucci and Dr. Romano. A sea of happy people, including five young children who smiled toothily, surrounded them.

_What were Malucci and Romano doing in a picture with Dr. Faith? Who were all those people?_

A sharp voice suddenly interrupted Carter's thoughts, "HEY!" a boy's voice yelled. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING SNOOPING AROUND IN HERE?!"

Carter turned and saw a very angry teenage boy, who was dressed in sneakers, sweats, and a white t-shirt, coming towards him with a metal bat in his hand. Suddenly, he was very nervous.

"I'm not snooping," Carter protested, raising his hands in defense. "I followed this crazy woman named Doctor Faith here to see what she was all about. She came to County and seemed to think that Dave Malucci was still a doctor and was at the hospital….He hasn't been there for a long time…"

The boy suddenly became angrier, "DON'T YOU CALL HER CRAZY!" he roared, gripping the bat. "DON' T YOU TALK TRASH ABOUT DR. DAVE EITHER!…YOU'RE A SNOOPING MORON WHO'S COME TO CLOSE OUR CLINIC! I'M NOT GOING TO LET YOU GET AWAY WITH IT!"

As if something snapped, the boy suddenly began hitting Carter hard with the bat. Fortunately, nothing seemed to faze Carter and he remained standing. He turned and began to walk away when he suddenly felt pain and heard a loud CRACK against the side of his head and face.

The next thing he knew, Carter's world blurred and he promptly fell into blackness.


	10. Discovering the Deeper Worlds

The hospital room was clean, and a lot quieter than recovery, except for the constant beeping of the monitor. It wasn't bad, though, it was roomy and quiet, so earned rest could be taken.

It had been a rather uneventful night for Dave, as he slept most of the time. Besides, considering the way he was feeling and with Dr. Weaver hanging out in the room all night, there wasn't much chance, if any, he could cause mischief. Strangely enough, people seemed to care about him now.

Dave blinked tiredly as he watched Dr. Weaver come into his hospital room with a very pretty, young-looking woman who was wearing a one piece suit covered by a dark gray wool waistcoat. Her hair was in a tight bun and upon seeing Dave, she smiled reassuringly at him.

``Malucci, this is Doctor Kem Carter," Kerry said, gesturing to the woman beside her. "I know you're tired and want to go back to sleep, but this will only take a moment. Kem is in the department of trauma counselling."

Dave was shocked. Trauma counselling? Weaver was going to make him see a psychiatrist? Also, the mention of her being a Carter made him wonder. Was she related to Doctor Carter?

Kem smiled at Dave's shocked reaction and took a seat in a plastic chair that was next to the bed, "I know you may not be comfortable with the idea of counselling," Kem gently counseled. "However, I think that it will help you not only with whatever issues you have, it will also help with your recovery from this."

Letting out a tired sigh, Dave weakly nodded, "May I ask if you are related to a Doctor John Carter?" he asked, very curious about it.

"Actually, yes, John is my husband," Kem said, smiling at Dave. "You don't need to worry, Dave, about a slow recovery…I have seen patients worse than you have slow recoveries and they are just fine in time. Just remember, I am here to help you find and conquer your issues that could hamper recovery. With counselling and a good deal of physical therapy, you will be well again."

As stabs of pain shot through him, Dave winced, "I hate to do this, Doctor Kem," he said tiredly. "I'm starting to hurt again and I really want to fall back asleep. I don't think all of the anesthesia has worn off yet….I'm sorry if I'm being inconsiderate, but…"

Kem nodded, "It's all right, Doctor Malucci." she said kindly. "You feel free to rest now and, when you're feeling better, we can talk some more. Don't worry about the counselling now, just rest easy."

Dave mumbled a 'thank you' and quickly fell asleep. Kerry and Kem quietly left the room.

As they lingered outside the room, Kem spoke, "Doctor Weaver, I think Dave will need more counselling than he currently realizes," she explained. "While we spoke, I could sense that he has unresolved issues."

With a final glance into Malucci's room, Kerry nodded and continued to talk with Kem as they walked off.

* * *

_Beep…beep…beep…_

Several hours later, in the very late afternoon, Dave awoke to the sound of steady beeping from the monitor. He was still pretty sore, but other than that, he felt more able to breathe and less congested in his chest. The rest had done him some good.

Sighing, he noticed a basket of flowers and a book on the table. They looked familiar enough.

Dr. Faith must have come while he was asleep and, even though she probably had not been able to stay, she must have arranged for someone to leave flowers and a book for him to pass the time while he healed.

Although he appreciated the kindness of Dr. Faith, Dave could do little more than pick the book up from the table and move it to his bed."Dad!" Daniel cried, as the door suddenly opened and Daniel came into the room, accompanied by Luka. _It must be after school hours_, Dave realized. _Wow, the time had flown by._

Dave smiled, "Daniel, I'm happy to see you, but it's getting late, kiddo," he said, concerned that Daniel wouldn't be able to eat, study, and be prepared for school the next day.

"I know," Daniel said, walking over to Dave's bedside. "I just wanted to say good night."

Luka spoke up, as he noticed the tiredness in Dave's eyes, "How are you feeling, Dave?" he asked, concerned that Dave was not being honest about how he felt.

"Honestly, Doctor Kovac, I'm tired and extremely sore," Dave admitted. "Even with the medication they give me, I still struggle a lot with pain."

Luka looked concerned at this, but said nothing about it, "I need to go and get Joe from the nurse at the admit desk up here," he said, walking to the door. "It'll give you a chance to chat with each other."

Once Luka was out of the room, Dave looked at Daniel with an incredibly sad expression, "Look, kiddo, I heard some staff talking about how, since I am not dying, I'm getting discharged tomorrow for lack of medical insurance," he admitted gravely. Ì'm not feeling that good yet, but it's gonna happen. I want you to stay with Doctor Kovac and his kid for as long as you can and keep going to school."

Daniel suddenly looked sad, "What about you, Dad?" he asked. "Where are you going to go?"

Dave sighed, "I'll go back to our apartment," he gently explained. "If we got evicted, I'll just go to a shelter where nobody knows me and I'll rest there until I'm well enough to look for a second job."

"Dad, please, I wanna go with you!" Daniel said, on the verge of tears.

Shaking his head, Dave pulled Daniel close, "If you stay with me at a shelter, social services will find some way to separate us," he cautioned. "If you stay with Doctor Kovac, you will be well taken care of and you will have a chance to get your education."

Bursting into tears, Daniel hugged Dave tight and ran out of the room. Dave lowered his head in grief.

While he struggled with his emotions, Dave failed to notice the monitor beginning to go haywire.

* * *

"Mom, Doctor's Carter's moving around," a female voice said. "Hurry, I think he's waking up!"

Carter's eyes opened and he could feel himself laying on an exam bed.

Thinking he was at County, he sat up and was surprised to find himself in a small exam room. Besides the bed, there was a small sink in the corner as well as a shelf that was overflowing with medical supplies.

Carter groaned, as he realized that he had a headache. He must have been knocked out by that punk who accosted and screamed at him for looking around the clinic.

Suddenly, a woman and a younger girl, who wore white medical coats over t-shirts and jeans, entered the room. Carter was surprised to see that the woman was none other than Dr. Faith.

"Doctor Carter, glad to see that you're finally awake," Dr. Faith said, as she strolled over to him.

As a penlight shone into his eyes, Carter looked around in shock. _Where am I?_


	11. Falling Through the Cracks

Luka came back towards Dave's room with Joe now in his arms. Right away, he noticed that Daniel was sitting on a row of plastic chairs, bawling his eyes out.

Before he could ask what was wrong, Luka suddenly heard the frantic beeping coming from Dave's room.

Worried that Dave was having problems, Luka carried Joe into the room and was surprised to see Dave covering his face with his hands, both sobbing and wheezing hysterically.

"Dave, what's wrong?" Luka asked, peering at the monitor in concern.

Shaking his head, Dave remained silent and continued to be upset. Daniel, who noticed that his dad was visibly upset about their whole talk, came back into the room to try and calm him.

"Doctor Kovac," Daniel said, looking up at Luka. "They're gonna kick my dad out of the hospital tomorrow because he has no money."

Luka suddenly looked angry, "They can't do that," he argued. "You only had major surgery two days ago and from what you've told me, you need a few more days in the hospital… I can talk to Doctor Romano for you and see if something can be worked out."

Dave shook his head, "That is a kind offer, Doctor Kovac," he said, a sad tone in his voice. "However, as a doctor, I know that unless it's a life or death situation, patients without medical insurance are cut loose once they aren't going to die."

Luka sighed and wanted to say more, but Dave, not wishing to talk about it anymore, spoke first, "It's getting late, Daniel," he said eyeing the clock on his wall. "Why don't you head back to Doctor Kovac's house? You need enough sleep to do well at school tomorrow."

Realizing that his father was right, Daniel hugged and accepted a return hug from Dave. Luka wanted to keep talking, but Dave closed his eyes and relaxed.

Not wanting to press Dave further, Luka sighed, "C'mon, Daniel," he said, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder, while holding Joe in the other. "Let's go back to my apartment."

Daniel nodded and with a final gaze at his sleeping father, he allowed Luka to lead him from the room.

* * *

Dr. Faith took the penlight away from Carter's eyes, as he seemed to be all right, just a little shellshocked, "I was quite worried when you stayed unconscious for so long, Doctor Carter," she said, as she switched the penlight off and put it in her coat pocket. "How are you feeling now?"

Carter couldn't help but grin, "I have a bad headache," he admitted, wincing as Dr. Faith felt the injured portion of his face and head. "Other than that, I'm feeling okay."

Dr. Faith nodded and turned to the girl, "Erinn, you should get Katie and get off to school," she ordered. "Check with Lucas about your money and tell Nathan that I had better not be called to the school to deal with his behavior again, or I am going to explode. It's bad enough he nearly killed Dr. Carter last night."

Erinn nodded and giving her mother a hug, she quickly hurried from the room.

"Was Nathan the one who attacked me last night?" Carter asked, ignoring his headache. "I wasn't snooping, I was just curious about what you were doing at County…"

Dr. Faith sighed, "I was visiting my dear friend and colleague, Doctor Dave Malucci," she said, a tone of sadness in her voice. "You still may not believe me, but he was admitted to County two days ago and underwent surgery to remove his spleen, re-inflate his lungs, and repair some broken bones."

Carter looked shocked and realized that Dr. Faith was telling the truth. He was even more surprised when she reached into the pocket of her lab coat and pulled out his wallet, which she handed to him.

"After I got you safe in an exam room, I got this off of my oldest son, Nathan," Dr. Faith said, handing Carter the wallet. "He's nearly sixteen and thinks it's his God-given right to beat up people if he thinks they are trying to cause trouble for the clinic. Both Doctor Malucci and I have continually warned him about his behavior someday getting him into legal trouble, but Nathan is set in his ways."

Carter raised an eyebrow, "Is Doctor Malucci your husband and your children's father?" he asked, intrigued that Malucci was a mentor to teens. "I'm sorry, it's none of my business…."

Instead of getting angry, Dr. Faith shook her head and smiled, "No, my children's father is God knows where and I hope he doesn't come around here," she stated. "Dave and I go way back and as well as being a valued colleague, he is like a brother to me and a beloved uncle to my four kids."

"Four kids?!" Carter asked, his eyes widened in surprise. "You look so young."

Dr. Faith chuckled, amused at Carter's comment, "Thank you, Doctor Carter," she said. "However, I have ALWAYS looked young for my age. Anyway, you might want to rest a bit."

"Actually, I am rather grateful for your help, Doctor Faith," Carter spoke. "I want to help out at the clinic to pay you back for your helping me despite my earlier rudeness."

Rolling her eyes, Dr. Faith smiled, "Considering your concussion, I don't think that's a wise idea at the moment," she said. "However, I will give you a brief tour of the clinic and tell you its history."

Carter nodded and got off the bed, "I'd like that, Doctor Faith," he said. "and, please, call me John."

Amy raised an eyebrow and turning, she left the exam room. Carter quickly followed after her.

* * *

"……Years ago, when Dave was fired, he came to me seeking help to not only finish his residency, but to be able to practice medicine in the future," Dr. Faith said, as she walked Carter through the clinic.

Throughout the tour, Carter was constantly impressed. Sure, the clinic wasn't as large, or as well equipped as County General, but it was just as efficient in the way it was run.

Carter was surprised, "I thought that Malucci would leave the field of medicine after he left County," he commented. "From what I heard, his firing was rather dramatic and I'm sure it shook his confidence."

Dr. Faith nodded, as they stopped at the admit desk, "Oh, Dave was extremely hurt by what happened at County," she admitted. "Despite the fact that he didn't give up trying, it was a long time before he found confidence in his abilities and competency as a doctor again."

Carter felt bad about that. He, without realizing it, had contributed to Dave's confidence being shaken and the indifferent attitude that eventually motivated the behavior which led to his firing from County.

"Anyway, not long after he was fired, Dave got the idea of a clinic for those who couldn't afford it or were too embarrassed by living circumstances to visit a hospital," she explained, holding up the plaque, which held the photo that Carter had seen before. "With help from a private investor, we got the clinic running."

Dr. Faith suddenly noticed that Carter was looking fatigued, so she pulled the office chair out from behind the desk, "Sit down, John," she ordered. "You still need to take it easy for a little bit."

Carter sat, grateful for Dr. Faith noticing that he was starting to feel tired, "When I was here earlier, I first noticed that plaque you just showed me, I was curious as to what Doctor Romano was doing in that picture." he commented. "I wasn't aware that you or Malucci knew Doctor Romano."

For a moment, Dr. Faith was quiet, then she gave a rather impish smile, "John, there's something you should know about Doctor Romano," she said. "Doctor Romano is my father and grandfather to my four kids: Nathan, Lucas, Erinn, and Katie. It may seem strange, but it's the absolute truth."

At that confession, Carter was shocked speechless. Dr. Faith shook her head and chuckled. She reached into her pocket and presented an ID badge that read "Amy Faith Romano, M.D."

"Faith is my middle name," Dr. Faith explained, returning the badge to her pocket. "I insist on people, including Dave, addressing me as Doctor Faith to decrease shock value and for safety reasons. When I first wanted to open the clinic with Dave, we went to my father together and presented him with the idea. Despite Dave's bad record at County, my father provided funding and helped us set everything up. While the clinic was being set up, he also arranged for Dave to complete his residency at Mercy with me."

Carter gazed all around him. It was an amazing clinic and it was truly amazing that Dave Malucci, who had struggled and been ejected from County had helped make this clinic work and run well.

Before he could comment, however, a phone on the desk began ringing. Dr. Faith answered it quickly.

"Hello, Free Clinic of Hope, Doctor Faith speaking," Dr. Faith said, gripping the receiver and listening to the caller on the other end, who sounded frantic. "What? When did he leave?…..Nobody has the slightest idea where he went?….What do you mean they were planning to discharge him today? HE HAD SUGERY YESTERDAY FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!….Yes, I know, I shouldn't yell….Go and tear some stripes off those idiots in administration…If he gets worse while he's out on the street, I swear that County will wish they never met the likes of me….Yes, I'll meet you there….Take care…bye."

Scoffing in frustration, Amy slammed the receiver down and took a deep breath. It was obvious to Carter that Dr. Faith had just received some very upsetting news and was trying to calm herself down.

"That was Doctor Greene at County," Dr. Faith said, looking up at Carter. "He said that, around seven this morning, he ventured up to Recovery to visit with Dave a bit before work and he discovered that his clothes were gone and his IV lines were on the bed, but his possessions were still there. Even though he is still in the process of recovery, Dave left County against medical advice, on his own free will. He left a note, apologizing for being a burden and that he would save the hospital money if he left on his own."

Carter's eyes widened in shock, "If Malucci's missing, I'll help you find him," he promised. "We can take my car to the hospital and I'll help you

Amy nodded and allowed Carter to lead her from the clinic to his car, which was parked down the street.


	12. Understanding Comes With Tragedy

Time never moved so slowly.

Fortunately, the drive back to County was short and silent. Carter drove, as with some quick reasoning, he convinced Dr. Faith that, as her emotions were running high, it would be safer for him to drive.

Within half an hour, they were back at County and, after Carter had parked his car, they walked through the ambulance bay and into the ER together. Dr. Greene was waiting for them at the desk.

"Carter, what happened to your face?" Mark asked, concerned about the colourful bruising on the side of Carter's face and head. "It looks terrible."

Not wanting her rebellious son to be exposed, Amy spoke up, "Doctor Greene, can you tell us what exactly happened this morning?"

Mark nodded, "I came in for work early and decided to go upstairs and visit with Malucci for a bit," he explained. "I figured that a visit might cheer him up a bit. However, when I got to his room, I see his personal stuff scattered throughout the room and his IV lines on the bed. When I realize that Malucci must have left the hospital AMA, I go up to administration and ask what the deal is. They tell me that since he had no insurance and wasn't dying, they were gonna cut him loose later today. When I tell them that Malucci left already, they seemed delighted. I nearly lost it at that point…"

"I need to talk to Doctor Romano about this," Dr. Faith stated, looking furious.

"Romano's in his office," Mark told her, surprised at the woman's boldness.

Amy nodded and with a determined expression on her face, marched off towards the elevators.

"Oh, Carter, wait," Mark said, as Carter made to follow her. "Kem is waiting for you in chairs."

Concerned that something might be wrong, Carter nodded and hurried over to the waiting area. Kem was seated on a chair, looking very distressed and alone.

"John, I got a call from a contactor wanting to build your center today," Kem said, tears coming to her eyes as she embraced her husband and gazed up into his eyes. "I was able to complete the call, but now, I am so unnerved that I cancelled today's schedule and I'm going home to think."

Carter sighed, "What was your schedule today?" he asked, gently rubbing Kem's back.

Kem sighed and wiped some tears from her face, "Nothing much, really," she admitted. "I was going to visit with Dave a while and then do some paperwork in my office."

At the mention of Malucci, Carter suddenly froze, "Kem, there's something I have to tell you about Malucci," he said, looking down at her. "He left County AMA this morning. They were gonna kick him out later today anyway because he had no medical insurance."

Kem looked both shocked and saddened at this news, "County is quite lousy at truly looking after people," she commented, pulling away from Carter. "They weren't able to save Joshua from death and now, because of a money issue, they abandoned Dave, who was truly in need of support and medical help. Some days I feel like it would be better living and practicing medicine back in Africa, or even in Paris."

"Look, Kem, right now, I need to help Doctor Faith find Dave and get him back to County," Carter said, even though he was feeling sadness over her words. "We should talk about this later, at home."

Kem nodded and giving Carter a sad glance, she silently walked out of the ER.

Carter sighed and massaged his forehead in grief. Lately, every time he and Kem were together, she would always discuss Joshua and how she missed him. It was a hard topic to even think about.

Joshua had died years ago and still, it hurt to think about what might have been had he lived.

Letting out another sighed, Carter stopped massaging his head. Now was not the time to remember Joshua. Finding Malucci and getting him the help he needed was the current priority.

Speaking of which, Carter remembered, he should probably go up to Romano's office and see how he could help. It was certainly better than sitting in the ER, dwelling on Kem's emotional words.

Swallowing hard, Carter ran off towards the elevators.

* * *

"Well, Doctor Carter, it's so nice you could finally join us," Robert sneered, as Carter entered his office and lingered in the doorway. "Amy and I have just been talking about Malucci's disappearance."

Without waiting for an invitation, Carter sat in the empty chair in front of Romano's desk. Dr. Faith was seated in the other chair, anxiously trying to be patient. Dr. Romano was seated behind his desk.

"Doctor Romano was just telling me that he has spoken with Doctor Kovac about the situation," Dr. Faith said, giving Carter an apologetic glance. "Daniel has been pulled from school and Doctor Kovac is keeping him busy while we look for Dave. Daniel knows about it, but he doesn't seem worried."

Before Carter could reply, a cell-phone began ringing. Cursing, Dr. Faith pulled it out of her pocket and answered it.

"Hello?" Dr. Faith said into the phone, her eyes suddenly widening as she heard the other person on the phone speak. "Dave, where are you?…Uh huh, are you okay?…Look, John and I are in Doctor Romano's office and we'll come right away….John Carter, from the ER…You what?...Oh, okay, bye…"

Amy sighed, as she put the phone back in the pocket of her winter coat, "That was Dave on the phone," she explained. "Somehow, on his crutches, in extremely cold weather, he made it back to his apartment."

Noticing that Dr. Faith was hiding something, Carter spoke up, "What's the matter?" he asked.

Dr. Faith sighed, "We need to take some medical supplies with us over to Dave's place," she said worriedly. "Dave said that he isn't doing well and he hung up to vomit…We need to hurry."

"Carter, accompany Doctor Faith over to Malucci's, check him out, and get him back to County as quickly as possible," Robert ordered, leaning back in his chair. "I have a meeting with administration this afternoon to discuss this incident….Oh, feel free to take some supplies from the ER with you."

Quickly getting to their feet, Dr. Faith and Carter quickly left the office. They quickly reached the elevator and Carter pressed the down button.

"Won't Malucci's kid think his father abandoned him?" Carter asked.

Dr, Faith shook her head, "No, Daniel understands why Dave left because Dave explained it to him and Doctor Kovac last night," she said. "Dave would never lie to his son about something that important."

The doors opened and exchanging a look, Carter and Dr. Faith entered the elevator.

Silence reigned throughout the air as the door slid shut.

* * *


	13. Returning in Mortal Peril

**A restful, but morbid, permanent sleep was becoming more likely as time passed.**

**Dave was sitting on the floor of his apartment, slumped backwards against a wall, fighting to stay at least half-conscious. His jacket and crutches were on the floor nearby, but he couldn't move.**

**The journey back to his apartment had been slow, but nothing bad happened. **

**However, as soon as Dave had entered the apartment, lightheadedness had suddenly overcome him and he collapsed against the wall. His crutches had fallen where he couldn't reach them. It happened so fast.**

**Now, unable to move, Dave was laying against the wall, struggling with chills and breathing difficulties.**

"**God, if you're there, watch over Daniel…" Dave moaned, trying to keep his eyes open. "I could have done better in everything…Maybe they were right…Maybe I wasn't much of a doctor…"**

**Unknown to Dave, Dr. Faith and Carter had come to the building in a taxi and into the apartment, courtesy of a key that Dr. Faith had, and had overheard the last comment uttered. **

**Seeing that Dave was in horrible shape, Amy put her bag, which carried supplies stolen from County, on her shoulder and kneeled next to Dave. **

"**Help me carry Dave to his bed, John," Dr. Faith said, as she put her arm around Dave to pull him up. "It'll be easier to treat him if he's comfortable."**

**Carter nodded and being careful not to aggravate any of Dave's current injuries, he and Dr. Faith managed to not only lift Dave from the floor, but they were also to carry him to his bedroom.**

"**I'll start some IV's, you check his vitals," Dr. Faith ordered, as she pulled an IV bag from the medical bag. "I have my suspicions as to what's wrong, but let's start with the basics."**

**As Carter began checking Dave's vitals, he suddenly heard Dave mumble incoherently about being sorry for his failures and how he disappointed so many people along the way. Frowning, he quickly finished taking Malucci's vitals and began to slowly put the pieces together in his mind.**

"**Doctor Faith, Malucci's suffering from fever induced delirum, his temp's 102," Carter stated, as he watched Dr. Faith hook a second IV to Malucci's arm, just above the first one.**

**Dr. Faith nodded, "Dave's in septic shock, I think," she explained, gazing at the dangerously pale color of Dave's skin. "Get me a tube and an ambu-bag. I'm gonna intubate and begin administering oxygen."**

"**I think that's against hospital policy, "Carter murmured, as he quickly found a tube and ambu-bag. "There are rules about how to treat patients…"**

**Snatching the supplies from Carter, "Dr. Faith gave him a stern look, "I don't work for a hospital, so I'm not bound to a restrictive policy," she snapped. "Besides, when it comes to saving lives, there are no rules."**

**As Dr. Faith prepared a syringe that she wanted to give Dave before intubating him, Dave suddenly spoke up, "I'm sorry for being a failure…" he murmured weakly.**

"**Dave, shh, you're not a failure," Dr. Faith gently spoke, as she injected the entire contents of the syringe into his IV. "Just rest now and when you wake up, you'll hopefully be feeling better."**

**Dave quickly went limp. Dr. Faith silently intubated him and attached the ambu-bag to the tube. **

**As Dr. Faith kept administering oxygen to Dave, she looked up at Carter, with tears in her eyes.**

"**I'll keep doing this," Dr. Faith told him. "You go phone for an ambulance who can get here as soon as possible and get Dave to County. I assume you have a cell-phone, as Dave has no phone."**

**Carter nodded and got to his feet. He quietly left Dr. Faith alone with Dave.**

**Walking into the living room, Carter, for the first time since he had been there, noticed that Dave's apartment was small and contained very little furniture.**

**A small second-hand couch was in the corner of the room, next to a small, metal bookshelf that Carter saw only contained second-hand medical books, old textbooks, and a few children's books. **

**On the walls, above the couch and shelf, there were three pictures of Dave and Daniel. **

**The picture above the shelf obviously from a past Halloween, Carter realized, as Dave and Daniel were both dressed in blue medical scrubs and Daniel was holding up a pumpkin basket full of candy. **

**The other two pictures merely showed Dave and Daniel entwined in a hug, Daniel smiling at Dave.**

**It was incredible, Carter thought, as he turned away from the photos and ventured into the kitchen. **

**Someone as arrogant as Dave Malucci used to be having another, more sensitive, desperate, tender side to him behind closed doors was almost unreal to ponder. It was hard seeing that Malucci lived in near poverty, but was still enduring the fight of life and sacrificing his health in order to provide for his son.**

**Carter entered the kitchen and was both surprised and saddened by the poor quality of the cupboards, sink, and kitchen appliances that Malucci had. Then again, he thought, it wasn't surprising.**

**Sighing, Carter found the phone on the counter, which looked like something out of earlier times, and quickly dialled 9-1-1. As he listened to the tone, Carter drummed his fingers on the counter impatiently.**

"**Hello, this is Doctor Carter of County ER," Carter said into the receiver. "I'm in need of an ambulance immediately….The patient is in his mid 30's and suffering from septic shock….I have another doctor here with me and she's intubated the patient and started IV fluids…She's currently giving him oxygen through an ambu-bag….The patient's name is Dave Malucci…Yeah, he left County AMA early this morning…"**

**As Carter continued to talk with the 9-1-1 operator, he stepped into the living room and looked in the direction of Dave's bedroom. He could see Dr. Faith continuing to squeeze the ambu-bag.**

**If paramedics arrived quickly, things would turn out okay and Dave would be all right….hopefully.**

**-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**The sirens died as the ambulance pulled into the bay at County General.**

**Within seconds, the paramedics had gotten their gurney out of the back and were rolling it towards the ER. On the gurney, Dave, who was covered by a blanket to protect his dignity, lay sedated and intubated, with an ambu-bag attached to the top of the tube. His broken wrist was back in it's sling and his uninjured arm was again decorated with IV lines.**

**As they entered the ER, Dr. Faith continued to squeeze on the ambu-bag, despite the paramedics telling her that they could handle it. Carter continued to check Dave's vitals.**

"**WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?!" Kerry suddenly shouted angrily, noticing that Dave was not only there, but sedated and intubated as well. "Carter, you had better have a good explanation for this."**

**Dr. Faith ignored the shouting, "Doctor Benton, take Dave into a Trauma Room and check him out right now," she ordered, quickly scribbling something on the chart and returning it to the gurney. "He was in septic shock when John and I found him. I intubated, gave him IV's, and administered oxygen, but I'm not sure if he's stable. Get Dave hooked to a monitor and let me know after you examine him."**

**Even though Dr. Faith was not on staff at County, Dr. Benton nodded and taking control of the gurney, he rolled it off towards the trauma room. Concerned that more surgery was needed, Dr. Corday followed.**

"**Carter, what in the world were you thinking?' Kerry snapped, as she walked over to him. **

**Dr. Faith, not wanting Carter to get into trouble for something he didn't do, suddenly spoke up, "Doctor Weaver, John didn't do all that to Dave, I did." she confessed. "I wanted to save his life."**

**With an angry look on her face, Kerry turned her attention to Dr. Faith, "Doctor Faith, here at County, there are policies about how to deal with patients both in and en route to the ER."**

"**Actually, Doctor Weaver, I don't work for a hospital anymore, so I'm not bound to any policies," Dr. Faith said, gazing straight into Kerry's eyes. "Sometimes, because of rules, the quality of care that patients get is compromised, so I do what I can do help them and screw the rules."**

**Before Kerry, who looked extremely angry by this point, could unleash her fury, Mark spoke up, "You did the right thing considering the situation, Doctor Faith," he said, ignoring Kerry's glare. "Under the circumstance, I would have probably done the same thing to help Malucci."**

**Kerry looked furious at this and was on the verge of shouting. Fortunately, Robert, who had just gotten back downstairs from an important meeting with administration, was lingering at the desk, and noticed the impending explosion. He certainly didn't want a shouting match in the ER.**

"**Well, everyone, since you're all lingering here waiting on news about Malucci, I have some news concerning his future at County," Robert spoke, sauntering over to the crowd. "First, I went to admin and made it clear that NOBODY is to throw him out again because he has no way to pay for treatment or else they will not only get a chewing out, they will also lose their jobs."**

**At this, Dr. Faith smiled. Kerry, however, looked concerned.**

"**Robert, it's good that you're showing compassion for Malucci, but County is a hospital, not a charity," Kerry protested, concerned. "Won't the hospital lose unnecessary money over this?"**

**Robert raised an eyebrow, "Yes, money is a concern," he stated, not surprised that Kerry's first concern was the hospital possibly losing money over this. "However, once Doctor Malucci recovers, he will be taking on hours in the ER to help settle his hefty medical bills."**

"**How is that possible?" Carter spoke up, surprised to hear that Malucci would soon return to County ER as a doctor. "Doesn't his past history make it impossible for him to get re-hired here?"**

**Romano sighed, "It's already been arranged with the administration," he explained. "When Doctor Malucci returns to the staff, NOBODY is to antagonize him in anyway, or else they will be fired immediately. I'll tell Malucci later, but I thought I would let you all know now."**

**Just then, Dr. Benton and Dr. Corday came out of the trauma room looking exhausted, but relieved. **

"**Doctor Benton, how is Dave doing?" Dr. Faith asked, as she saw the two surgeons.**

**Peter sighed deeply, "Malucci's stable for the moment," he replied. "Right now, though, he needs to be admitted to the ICU for aggressive treatment. It was a smart thing to get him started on antibiotics before even getting him to the hospital. It probably saved his life."**

"**I'll take Dave up to the ICU and get him admitted," Dr. Faith said, looking relieved that Dave would probably be okay. **

**Dr. Greene nodded, "I'll help," he volunteered.**

**Robert nodded, "That sounds appropriate," he commented. "You did a good job saving Malucci's life, Doctor Faith, but you will need to pay penance later on for breaking hospital protocol."**

**Dr. Faith nodded and walked off towards the trauma room, accompanied by Dr. Greene.**

**As the two doctors went into the trauma room, Carter suddenly spoke up, "Doctor Faith is one amazing doctor," he explained. "If it weren't for her, Malucci might have died…."**

**Kerry, Robert, Elizabeth, and Peter listened to Carter speak about the clinic that Dr. Faith and Malucci had formed long ago and were currently co-running. However, there was a more pressing thought on all of their minds concerning the announcement heard today.**

**Doctor Malucci would be returning to the ER sometime soon. Would things be any different for him?**


	14. Breaking the Rules to Save a Life

After expressing his concern privately to Kerry about Malucci's returning, Carter had snuck upstairs and arrived on the ICU floor just in time to see a nurse exit a private room at the end of the hal .

"Excuse me, I'm a good friend of the patient," Carter spoke up, walking over to the nurse. "Can you tell me the prognosis?"

The nurse sighed, "Well, I can't tell you much because of confidentiality rules," she said, scanning Dave's chart. "However, I can tell you that your friend is certainly lucky to be alive.

Carter nodded, "Is it possible to see him now?" he asked.

Looking up from the chart, the nurse nodded, "Of course you can see him, Doctor Carter," she replied, immediately recognizing him and assuming that he was involved in the patient's ER care. "Doctor Greene and wife are in with him now. Don't stay too long, though, he needs his rest."

His wife? Was Dr. Faith the wife of Malucci and it had just been kept under wraps?

Not saying a word, Carter nodded and quietly entered the room. Immediately, he saw that both Dr. Greene and Dr. Faith were lingering at Dave's bedside. 

"What Dave needs is a ventilator, Doctor Greene," Dr. Faith was saying, as Carter approached the bed. "We've been here for nearly an hour and the antibiotics aren't working as well as I had hoped."

Carter raised his eyebrow and silently slipped out of the room. Not noticing that Carter had been there, Dr. Faith took a syringe from the bedside tray and quietly drew some blood.

"Make sure that the lab gets these samples and processes them quickly," Dr. Faith said, as she put the blood in various vials and sealed them. "Hopefully, the sepsis will disappear in time."

Mark nodded, to him it was absolutely killing Dr. Faith to see Dave like this. As he watched her change Dave's foley bag, he silently wondered if there was more to Dave and Dr. Faith's relationship.

The door opened and Carter pulled a ventilation machine into the room.

"John, you and Doctor Greene had better leave the room while I hook Dave to this ventilator," Dr. Faith said, pulling the machine closer to Dave's bed. "I don't want you getting in trouble."

Carter shook his head, "Forget it," he argued. "What you said down there, about helping people and screwing the rules sometimes so quality of care isn't compromised, it made a lot of sense."

"I have to agree with Doctor Carter," Mark said, as he hooked another IV of saline to Dave's arm. "I'm staying and we'll all face the trouble, if any, together. We're doing this for Malucci."

Looking very sad, Dr. Faith whispered, "I'm sorry, Dave," and, pulling the ambu-bag off, quickly attached the ventilation machine to the top of the tube that was down Dave's throat and turned it on.

"I want Dave to wake up and heal so bad," Dr. Faith said, stepping back from the ventilator and watching it work. "However, I know these cases are unpredictable and it could go either way."

Mark sighed, "I'll go phone Doctor Kovac and update him on the situation," he spoke up, before making a hasty retreat from the room that was filled with nothing but sad feelings.

Dr. Faith continued to watch Dave. Feeling sad that the poor woman had to deal with this crisis alone, Carter gently put an arm around her. Dr. Faith flinched, but didn't move. Together, they watched Dave.

*******************************************************************************

Meanwhile, at Luka's apartment, which was in the downtown area, it was calm.

Luka was sitting at the table with Joe, talking with him as he tried to get his son to finish off his dinner of mashed peas, applesauce, and mashed carrots. Joe had liked the applesauce, but not anything else.

Daniel was in the spare bedroom, otherwise known as his temporary bedroom, working on make-up homework that his teacher, who sympathized about Dave's current trouble, had sent him in lieu of missing school. 

"C'mon, Joe," Luka gently chided, as he tried to get the spoonful of mashed carrot into the boy's closed mouth. "Doesn't mashed carrot sound good?"

Joe remained close-mouthed and scrunched his face up. Luka smiled and set the spoon down on the table.

Before, however, Luka could try to feed him again, the phone rang. Standing, Luka sighed and walked over to the phone, which was on the wall.

"Oh, blessed child, what am I going to do with you?" Luka gently said, as he picked up the phone. "Hello, this is Luka Kovac speaking….Oh, hi, Doctor Greene."

As Dr. Greene quickly explained the situation, trying to be as honest, yet brief, as he could, Luka's calm demeanor suddenly turned to a look of concern and extreme worry, "….Thanks for keeping me posted, Mark," he said, trying to remain calm. "See you later."

Luka hung up the receiver, deeply disturbed by the update on Dave. 

Yes, Dave was currently stable, but not only was he intubated in the ICU, he was receiving ventilation and aggressive antibiotic and fluid treatment for sepsis. He was also sedated for his own safety. The only positive thing was that he was being kept company by Carter and Dr. Faith.

Despite the backlash he could get for it later, Luka knew he had to be honest with Daniel about his father's current condition. Yes, Daniel was only eight, but he deserved to be told. 

Besides, Luka reasoned, if nothing else, Dave would want his son to be told the constant truth about things occurring around him.

"Daniel, could you come here, please?" Luka asked. "I want to talk to you about your dad."

Luka heard a book being closed and Daniel's footsteps. Daniel quickly came out of the spare bedroom and sat at the table, across from Luka and beside Joe. Seeing Daniel, Joe gurgled happily.

"What's going on with my dad, Doctor Kovac?" Daniel asked, gazing up at Luka.

Luka sighed, "I just got a phone call from Doctor Greene, one of the doctors who is helping your dad," he explained, looking Daniel in the eyes. "While he was away from the hospital, your dad ended up with an infection from the operation he had to take his spleen out. The infection made him very sick."

Daniel nodded, "How sick is my dad?" he asked.

"Because of his sickness, Doctor Faith and Doctor Carter gave him intravenous fluids and Doctor Faith put a tube down his throat to help him breathe better before they took him back to the hospital in an ambulance," Luka explained. "Right now, your dad is in a special care unit of the hospital and along with special medication to treat him, he is hooked to a special machine that helps him to breathe easier. They also put him on sleep medication so it's easier to help him."

A tear suddenly slid down Daniel's face, Daniel began to look very worried, "Doctor Kovac?" Daniel asked, a sad tone in his voice. "Is my dad going to die?"

"Well, to be honest, I am not sure at this point in time," Luka admitted, wanting to be as honest as possible with the boy. "The doctors are doing as much as they can to help and we must hope for the best but prepare for the worst…However, there is something we can do for your dad that may help greatly."

Daniel blinked, "What can we do to help my dad?" he asked, very curious. "I will do anything I can."

Luka sighed deeply, "We can pray for your dad," he said. "I will say a prayer I learned at an earlier age. It may seem only like meaningless words, but prayer can help more than we might ever realize it."

Daniel nodded, "Okay," he said, bowing his head.

"All right, I will pray," Luka said, his voice suddenly deepening. ""L'ange de Dieu, le gardien de Dave cher, vers qui Son amour lui confie là, jamais ce jour-ci [la nuit] être à son côté pour allumer et garder, gouverner et guider. Amen." he said, lifting his head and staring at both Joe and Daniel.

Daniel was calmed by the strange prayer, but also confused, "What did you say?" he asked.

Luka smiled, of course the boy would not know the French language, "I said the prayer in what is known as the French language," he explained, smiling. ""Angel of God, Dave's guardian dear, to whom His love entrusts him there, ever this day [night] be at his side to light and guard, to rule and guide. Amen."

Daniel smiled. The prayer sounded so peaceful, perhaps it would help his father.

Luka stood and gently lifted Joe from his highchair, "Would you like to help me put Joe to bed tonight?" he asked, giving Daniel a smile as he placed Joe against his shoulder. "It will give you something to do other than worry. You can finish your schoolwork later."

Daniel nodded. Luka smiled and walked towards Joe's bedroom. Daniel quickly followed after them.

Perhaps the prayer, if nothing else, would bestow a peace of mind all involved in the current ordeal.


	15. One Step Forward, The Past Comes Back

"_Nathan, don't drag your feet like a wounded dog," Dr. Faith sharply reprimanded her light haired eldest son, as they quickly walked up the hospital stairs to the intensive care floor. "I want to see how Doctor Malucci is doing and, since I'm babysitting you today, you need to keep up with me."_

_It had been nearly a week, Dr. Faith thought, since Dave was admitted to the ICU. She had come today to try and see if Dave was well enough to be taken off the ventilator. He had already been taken off the sedative by Dr. Greene. Hopefully, Dave was finally getting well again._

"_Mom, slow down," Nathan complained, as they walked on to the intensive care floor. "I'm getting tired and you're going too fast."_

_Dr. Faith stopped, and turned to look at Nathan with a raised eyebrow, "Nathan Robert Romano, I was not the one who swore at their principal and ended up with a week-long suspension," she snapped. "You knock off the cheeky attitude and hurry up. I hope you learn something today."_

_Nathan grumbled, but obediently kept up with Dr. Faith as they walked down the hallway. When they reached the door to Dave's room, Nathan looked through the glass curiously._

_Dr. Malucci was there, exactly how his mother had described it. Who were the bald doc, the yuppie, and the beautiful young girl? What were they doing in Dr. Dave's hospital room?_

"_Nathan, remember to behave yourself and don't give Doctor Carter or Doctor Greene any trouble," Dr. Faith explained, gazing into her son's eyes. _

_Nathan nodded. Dr. Faith put a hand on Nathan's shoulder and led him into the room._

"_Doctor Faith, welcome," Dr. Greene said, as he noticed her walk into the room with a teenage boy. "I was just getting ready to extubate Malucci and see if he'll wake up on his own now."_

_While Dr. Greene had his attention on Dr. Faith and the boy, Carter was lingering near Dave's side and he suddenly noticed Dave looking up at him. Rachel saw Carter's expression and tugged on her dad's sleeve. _

_Rachel was there because she had gotten a two day suspension for constant tardiness and rather than leave her home to cause trouble, Mark thought it wiser to bring her to work with him._

"_Dad, Doctor Carter is looking weird," Rachel told him as she continued to watch Carter._

_Mark looked over at Carter, who was staring down at Dave with wide eyes, "What's the problem, Doctor Carter?" he asked, walking over to his colleague._

"_Malucci's awake," Carter said, a relieved tone in his voice._

_Mark sighed, relieved, "Rachel, why don't you and….what's your name?" he asked, looking at Nathan._

"_Nathan," Nathan replied, raising an eyebrow._

"_Anyway, Rachel, why don't you and Nathan go hang out in the cafeteria for a bit?" Mark suggested. "I'll need to examine Malucci when he's extubated, and I don't need distractions."_

_Nathan nodded and offered his arm to Rachel, a gallant move that both his mother and Dr. Dave had taught him once he reached the age of showing interest in the opposite sex. _

_For a moment, Rachel looked amused. Then, smiling, she took his arm and they left the room together._

_Mark gazed down and was secretly relieved to see Malucci staring back at him with tired eyes, "Okay, Malucci," he said, disconnecting the ventilator. "I'm going to extubate you now, you know how the procedure goes….Someone have a mask ready for when the tube's out."_

_Dave inhaled deeply, then exhaled. As Mark pulled the tube out, Dave began coughing._

_Carter quickly placed a mask over Dave's face, "Just breathe deeply and relax, Malucci," he said, relieved that Dave didn't end up dying. "Everything will be fine now."_

"_Carter…," Dave suddenly spoke weakly, moving the mask away from his face. "I'm…sorry…about…leaving…the…hospital….too…soon."_

_Carter nodded and smiled, "It's okay, Malucci," he said._

_Dave nodded weakly and looked at Dr. Faith, "Thank you, Amy," he whispered weakly._

_Dr. Faith smiled and gently took Dave's uninjured hand, "Dave, it's all right," she said, in a soothing tone. "Relax now, you need your rest. It's been a hard week for you."_

_Dave nodded weakly and promptly fell asleep, breathing softly into the mask. _

"_Doctor Greene, Doctor Carter, thank you for helping me get Dave through all this," Dr. Faith said, stepping away from the gurney. "I need to step out for a moment, excuse me."_

_Mark nodded and, being careful not to wake Dave up again, he quietly began checking him over as Dr. Faith left the room. Concerned for her, Carter followed her into the hall._

"_Doctor Faith, can I ask you a question?" Carter asked, as he quietly closed the door._

_Dr. Faith sighed, "John, you might as well call me Amy when we're in non-professional settings like this," she replied, gazing through the glass window. "What is your question?"_

"_Are you Malucci's wife, girlfriend, or do you have any kind of love for him?" Carter asked, watching how sad Dr. Faith looked as she watched Dave through the window._

_Dr. Faith sighed and she turned to Carter, smiling, "Oh, John, of course I have love for Dave, as he does for me," she admitted. "We love each other like siblings, who want to protect each other for the rest of their living days, no matter how their lives change and separate. There aren't any romantic feelings between us, but we would do anything to protect the other to the best of our ability and beyond that."_

_As they continued to silently watch Dr. Greene examine Dave through the window, Carter watched Dr. Faith's expression out of the corner of one eye. Right now, her focus was on Dave, as he had just recovered from nearly dying. However, after Malucci was well, then what?_

_Secretly, even though he was still married to Kem legally, Carter was feeling romantically inclined towards Dr. Faith. The fact that she had four kids didn't only not bother him, it made him feel more comfortable about approaching her. He had always liked children._

_However, Carter knew that it was not the right time to suggest such a thing. The focus was on Malucci regaining his health and coming back into the fold of doctors at County, so he continued to watch._

_****************************************************************************_

_Night had fallen, but there was still joy running high within County's walls_

_After Dr. Greene had determined that Dave would, in fact, recover his health, he had left Dave in the care of Carter and Dr. Faith and gone off to update Dr. Kovac of the situation. _

_Within half an hour of Luka finding out that Dave was going to be okay, Daniel, who had been overjoyed at the good news about his father, had insisted on seeing his father right away. Luka had allowed it, despite the hour being late, as it meant everything to Daniel that Dave was going to recover._

_Dave was resting in his room, alone for the moment. However, that did not last long as the door suddenly opened and Daniel hurried in, with Luka, who was holding Joe, lingering in the doorway._

"_Dad, I was worried about you," Daniel said, as he reached Dave's bedside._

_Dave smiled and gently pulled Daniel close to him, "Daniel, I missed you so much while I was sick," he said, tears coming to his eyes. "I love you so much, Daniel…"_

_Continuing to cry, Dave held Daniel close and they were quiet. Deciding to give Dave and Daniel a moment alone, Luka quietly carried Joe from the room._

_As he moved over to a nearby row of plastic chairs, his cell-phone suddenly rang. _

_Sighing, Luka shifted Joe to one arm and quickly answered it._

"_Luka?" Luka suddenly heard a familiar voice on the other end, much to his shock and dismay. "Well, I can hear you, but you're not saying anything," she said. "Anyway, as you know, this is Abby and I am planning to visit Chicago in the next few weeks….Can we meet somewhere? We need to talk."_

_Shaking, Luka shut his cell phone and put it back in his pocket. Now, he was upset._

_After nearly a year of being AWOL following her near-murder of their son, Abby had managed to get his cell-phone number and contact him. Not only that, Luka worried, but she wanted to meet with him and talk. The topic was most likely about getting shared custody of Joe. It scared him to death._

_Holding Joe close to him, Luka shuddered, there was NO WAY he would ever let Abby get custody, or even any visitation rights, of HIS son. Abby may have given birth to Joe, and had a hysterectomy afterwards, but she was NOT Joe's mother. She almost killed him, being drunk enough to black out and forget that the boy was alone in the tub. Joe COULD HAVE DROWNED, for heaven's sake._

"_Daddy will look after you, Joe," Luka cooed, as he held Joe close. "Don't worry. You're safe."_

_***************************************************************************_

_Back in Dave's room, Daniel had fallen asleep on the floor and Dave was smiling, as he watched his son sleep. A peace washed over him, things would be okay._

"_Malucci," Dr. Greene suddenly spoke, as he opened the door and entered the room, followed by Kerry. "I know you're tired and need rest, but Kerry and I need to talk with you for a moment."_

_Dave nodded and sighed. Here came the well-deserved lecture, he thought._

_However, to his surprise, Kerry reached into her pocket and pulled out a small metal bar. When she placed it in his hand, Dave realized that it was his old locker tag, back when he worked at County._

_Before he could ask why it was given to him, the door opened and Dr. Romano came into the room, accompanied by a happy-looking Dr. Faith. Carter had watched from the hall for the longest time, but he had finally decided to go home and have an unavoidable discussion with Kem over their issues._

"_Well, Malucci, let's get right to the point," Robert spoke. "As you know, County is NOT a charity and there is the matter of your medical fees. However, instead of facing another untimely ejection, you will work in the ER to pay off your fees as soon as you are physically able."_

_Dave's eyes widened. Romano HAD to be playing some awful joke on him. However, if that was true, why would Amy be here? She wasn't the type to be involved in cruel jokes on him._

_Romano smirked at Dave's reaction, "This is not a joke, Malucci," he said, as if reading Dave's thoughts of disbelief. "You'll finish recovering in the hospital, just as a precaution. Then, when you are deemed well enough, you'll be on the ER roster. Considering past issues, I have made it clear that everyone is to help and support you in your return and if they antagonize you, they will be fired immediately."_

_Smirking, Robert quickly left the room. Dave stared at the locker plate for a moment. He then looked up at Dr. Faith, who was smiling, of course she was proud of him._

_What worried him, however, was the reaction of both Dr. Greene and Dr. Weaver, as they had not really gotten along in the past. Would it be the same situation now?_

_Dr. Weaver smiled, but stayed silent, she wasn't sure how this would go, but it was already settled, so she would accept it for what it was. Dr. Greene, however, broke into a sincere smile._

"_Welcome back to County, Doctor Malucci," Dr. Greene said, giving Dave a reassuring smile._

_--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

_**So, that's it for this story. However, there WILL be a sequel!**_

_**The sequel will be called "Time Stops for No Changes" and it will address the marital problems of Carter and Kem, the return of Abby, the revelation of Dave's past before County was even a part of his life, and more issues arise that threaten the well-being of Dr. Faith's hard-fought success...Old characters return, blasts from the past resurface, and chaos reigns supreme in the vast city of Chicago....**_


End file.
